


The Villain of this Story

by Dreamshaper



Category: Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) (2020)
Genre: F/F, and fluff, and hurt/comfort, some descriptions of ouchies, this will have some angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-22
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-12 02:54:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 18
Words: 26,025
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29628000
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dreamshaper/pseuds/Dreamshaper
Summary: The Birds of Prey have been working together for a while and things are going well. Dinah and Helena start figuring out their feelings, but a new threat to one of them puts them all in danger.
Relationships: Helena Bertinelli/Dinah Lance
Comments: 44
Kudos: 45





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> My 20th fic for this pairing... I'm hopeless lmao. I hope you'll enjoy ;)  
> Title from Machinae Supremacy - fun band :D

Dinah lets out a content sigh as she drops down onto the couch and puts her feet up on the table, something Renee usually reprimands her for, but today, the former detective just sits next to her and does the same thing; Dinah raises her brows at that, but doesn’t comment, just leans her head back and closes her eyes, letting out another sigh as she finally gets to relax.

“Shit”, Renee says next to her, prompting her to open her eyes again and raise her head so she can look at the reason for this expletive, and she’s not really surprised at the result, smirking when Renee goes on, “Crossbow, what the fuck are you made of? Look at her, she looks like she just came back from a stroll at the park.”

Helena just shrugs as she makes her way to the fridge, the latest acquirement for their headquarters; once she has gotten access to her family’s money, she has made it very clear to the other two that she plans to use it for some good, and has purchased a building for them to use as main base, and in the last few weeks, the three of them have slowly started filling it with what they need for their team.

Helena, of course, has started with buying training equipment, Dinah sometimes wonder if the woman does anything else than work out when they are not out and about fighting crime; she also has moved from her motel to their base, having a little room there with what Dinah calls the bare minimum, a bed, a desk, a wardrobe and a bookshelf, but the bookshelf at least holds more books every time Dinah gets a look at it, showing her that Helena doesn’t just work out, but reads, too.

Dinah and Renee have rooms and beds in their headquarters as well, for the nights when the fight has been too long and hard and they have no energy left to go to their respective homes; unlike Helena, they have their own places though as well, and only use the rooms at their base every now and then, Dinah thus not having much of her stuff there, just some hygiene utensils and a few clothes. 

Tonight will be one of the nights where she stays here, Dinah decides, they have fought a somewhat large gang and while they have won, it has been a somewhat long and tiring mission; she doesn’t feel much like driving to her apartment, Helena has made sure their base isn’t too far from their homes, but she still doesn’t enjoy the thought of driving now, yawning to herself as she lets her head drop back again.

“Here”, Helena says as she comes back from the fridge, handing cooled cans of soda to both Dinah and Renee; they let out vaguely grateful noises, both taking a few big gulps from the drinks while Helena sits down in the one still free seat, a comfortable armchair Renee has found somewhere and has brought so all three of them actually have somewhere to sit.

“Thanks”, Renee says once she has drank down half her can, “but you haven’t answered my question, how the fuck are you still looking so fresh? You don’t have some hidden super power, do you.”

“No”, Helena replies with a roll of her eyes, Dinah smiling a bit as she knows the woman would have taken offense at this question when they have started their group, but by now, Helena is getting better when it comes recognizing when someone is serious or when some light fun is being poked at her, at least when it’s Renee or Dinah herself, “you’ve asked me that before, and I’ve told you before. I work out.”   


“That you do”, Renee agrees, one just has to take one look at Helena after all to know that this is true, something Dinah herself is quite aware of as well, perhaps sometimes looking closer and longer than would have been appropriate for teammates and friends, “but still, this is unfair. I feel like I’ll fall asleep on the spot and you look like you could still run the Gotham Marathon and be fine.”

Helena just shrugs again while Dinah smirks, taking a sip of her own drink before she speaks up, winking at Helena as she does so, and amused when the assassin’s cheeks redden visibly, a reaction she has noticed more and more from Helena lately whenever she says something nice or perhaps even flirty to her.

“Don’t gripe, Renee”, the singer states, Renee looking at her while Helena clears her throat, “she’s got a headstart, doing nothing but training for revenge for fifteen years.”

“That is not accurate”, Helena protests, Dinah smirking again as she’s known Helena would react exactly like this, “I also learned languages. And how to cook.”

“That might be so”, Dinah concedes, only to make Helena blush again a second later as she goes on, “but learning languages and cooking doesn’t give you biceps like that.”

Helena clears her throat and shrugs, clearly not having an answer to that; Dinah winks at her again, Renee rolling her eyes at their antics, quick to finish her drink before she comes to her feet and declares she’ll head home.

“I won’t”, Dinah says, yawning again for emphasis, “I’m too tired to drive, are you sure that’s a good idea Renee?”

“Maybe not”, Renee admits with a shrug, then smirks, “but I got a lunch date with Ellen tomorrow, and I’m not wearing any of the old stuff I got here for that, so… bye, guys. Have a good night.”

“You too”, Dinah says with another smirk, “and have fun on your date tomorrow. Say Hi to Ellen from us.”

Helena lets out a vaguely agreeing noise to that, and Renee nods her agreement before she does head out; getting comfortable on the couch again, Dinah yawns, she’s tired, but wants to finish her drink first, Helena toying with her own can of soda, looking up at her though when she speaks up again. 

“So, you learned languages”, she states, making Helena nod, “which ones do you speak, then? If you don’t mind me asking.”

“I don’t”, Helena reassures her, and that makes Dinah somewhat glad, she’s been quick to learn that Helena doesn’t like talking about the time before she has come back to Gotham, she has told Renee and her about the men who have taken her in and how they have trained her, but not much more than that, and whenever the topic is brought up, she tends to give short and monosyllabic answers, making it clear it’s not one of her favourite things to talk about.

“English, of course”, Helena starts with the obvious one, making Dinah smirk again, she knows the woman isn’t being deliberately obtuse, but that’s just how her mind works when she asked such things, “Italian, Sicilian, and no, it is not the same thing as Italian, Spanish, Russian, German, Mandarin Chinese, some Japanese, and, oh, I can curse in Finnish.”

“An important skill”, Dinah says with a small laugh, glad when Helena smiles a little bit as well; then, the singer lets out another yawn and finishes her drink, declaring she will get some sleep now, not surprised when Helena nods her agreement, she doesn’t look tired, but whenever Dinah sleeps here after a night out fighting, Helena retreats to her room whenever Dinah does, no matter if she looks tired or not. 

“Good night”, Dinah adds, getting up from the couch now and stretching, “sleep well.”

“You too”, Helena says, coming to her feet as well; Dinah smiles at her, her gaze lingering on the other woman’s form for a few heartbeats before she finally heads to her bedroom, fast asleep a short while later, Helena in her own room asleep just as fast, both of them getting much needed rest without any nightmares disturbing their slumber.


	2. Chapter 2

“Hey”, Dinah greets Renee as the former cop arrives at their base in the next afternoon, looking up from the laptop she has been working on, doing some research on a gang they have been after for a while now, “how was your date?”

“Good”, Renee tells her with a little smirk, Dinah smiling back at her before she grabs her glass and starts to drink, only to nearly sputter water all over the laptop when Renee goes on, “and you? You and Crossbow finally hook up?”

“W-what?” Dinah manages, glad that Helena is in the gym area of their base and not near enough to hear this, while Renee rolls her eyes at her reaction, “what are you talking about?”

“Please”, she then says, Dinah feeling her cheeks heat up at what Renee is saying, “you think I’m blind? I was a detective, I know what to look for. And it’s hard to miss the way you are looking at each other, honestly, half the time I’m surprised you’re not jumping her then and there when we get done a fight and her muscles are all… showy.”

“Wait, wait, wait”, Dinah latches on to one detail of what Renee has said, skillfully ignoring the comment about how she might look as if she’ll jump Helena at the sight of  _ showy muscles _ , as the former cop has put it, “how we look  _ at each other _ ? You’re not telling me she’s looking at me too, are you.”

“Oh my God”, Renee responds, rolling her eyes, “Dinah. Woman. You’re smart. You’re not seriously trying to tell me you haven’t noticed?”

Dinah can only blink, and Renee rolls her eyes again, then shakes her head, and Dinah feels oddly like she is getting scolded, making a face as the other woman speaks up again.

“Really?” she says, Dinah giving a somewhat helpless shrug, “I get it when Crossbow misses the way you’re thirsting over her, but the other way round? You don’t have the excuse of growing up in Sicily with adoptive assassin dads, so why are you so obtuse?”   


“I’m not obtuse”, Dinah says, indignant while Renee snorts, “I just… didn’t notice, okay? It’s not like I check her out every second of the day.”

“You sure about that?” Renee smirks, and Dinah huffs, doesn’t have the chance to say anything though as she hears footsteps approach; she has a second to give Renee a pleading look, she figures the former detective won’t say anything when Helena is around to hear, but it can’t hurt to make sure, Renee just rolling her eyes again in reply, but thankfully not saying anything when Helena enters the room.

“Hey”, Helena greets, and Dinah notices the way Renee glances at her as she swallows heavily, because it’s a warm day, so Helena has done her morning workout in a sleeveless shirt which has left part of her stomach uncovered, too, just enough so Dinah can see a bit of her abs, as if a good look at her arms wasn’t enough already. 

She tears her eyes away and feels her face heat up, Helena apparently unaware of Dinah looking at her in a way which certainly has nothing to do with friendship or platonic feelings as she makes her way to the fridge; and Dinah is fairly certain that she has to be unaware, because otherwise, the way she bends down to grab a bottle of water would just be teasing, Renee rolling her eyes again as she takes note of how Dinah checks out Helena’s butt.

“You might want to get Dinah a water, too”, Renee suggests, ignoring the glare Dinah sends her way for this, “she looks quite thirsty to me.”

Dinah mouths “traitor” at Renee for that, but Helena apparently has no idea about the  _ other _ meaning of thirsty, as she just lets out an agreeing noise; and when she straightens up again, she does hold two bottles of water, offering one of them to Dinah, the singer giving her a somewhat tight smile when she accepts it and thanks her. 

“No problem”, Helena says, still completely oblivious to what just has been said; Dinah fights the urge to glare at Renee again, cause Helena might notice that, and gestures at her laptop instead, filling them in on what she has been busy with while Helena has gone through her workout routine.

“So I looked up this gang”, she starts, Helena perking up while Renee nods, both of them waiting for her to go on, “you know, the guys with the weird animal masks? It doesn’t look like they’re working for some bigger fish, but we might want to take them out anyway, they have been terrorizing that one neighbourhood for the past few weeks.”

“Yeah, sounds like a good target”, Helena nods once Dinah has finished her explanations, Renee letting out a vaguely agreeing noise as well, “we should see if we can find them tonight and take them out.”

Dinah nods, and they move to the map of Gotham pinned to one of the walls, one Renee has brought to their base; Dinah is fairly certain she has “borrowed” that from GCPD, but can’t say she minds much, as it makes their job quite a bit easier, allowing them to figure out how the gangs they are after move and sometimes even lets them to pin down the location of their main hideout.

“Their last attacks have happened here, here, and here”, Dinah tells the other two as she marks said locations on the map with little flag pins, “they hit up small stores, empty the register and rob whoever is in there at the time.”

“These stores are all kind of close together”, Renee points out, stepping closer to the map for a better look, “look, their radius isn’t very big. We might be able to find and stop them tonight, if we can figure out where they might strike next.”

“Here”, Dinah says, grabbing the laptop to pull up Google Maps as this has a better view of the stores in that area, “there’s two stores which might work as a target for them, small businesses with usually just one clerk there in the evening. Here, and here.”

“We’ll split up”, Renee decides, Dinah frowning a bit at that while Helena nods, “those stores aren’t that far apart, one of us sees one go in, she alerts the others. Crossbow, Dinah, you take the one here, I’ll take the other one.”

“Alright”, Helena agrees again, and this time, Dinah does notice how she briefly glances at her, her gaze returning to the map again though a moment later, “sounds like a plan. We better bring the radio equipment, so we won’t have to rely on our phones.”

This makes Dinah and Renee nod in turn, and Renee declares that she’ll get said equipment ready and heads off; for a few more moments, Helena remains where she is, looking at the map, then clears her throat and turns to face Dinah, gesturing at the laptop, and Dinah is a bit amazed to see her cheeks redden a bit when she speaks up again, sounding somewhat stilted now, as if she has rehearsed the words in her head, but still has difficulty saying them out loud. 

“That was really good you know”, she says, and Dinah is confused for a moment, not quite sure what Helena is talking about, “um, how you found that map with all that detail? Good job.”

“Oh”, Dinah lets out, immediately realizing that Helena, while brilliant when fighting and using her crossbow, isn’t very tech-savvy, apparently, using current technology hasn’t been on the lesson plan with her assassin dads, “thank you, it’s not that hard. I can show you some day if you like.”   


“Yeah, sure”, Helena says at once, Dinah giving her another smile; Helena clears her throat, then says she should better make sure her crossbow is in working order and retreats as well, Dinah watching her go with raised eyebrows.

It’s not the first time Helena compliments her, but it is the first time she does so without Dinah having said something nice to or about her first, and now, Dinah realizes that perhaps, Renee is right and her crush isn’t as one-sided as she has thought so far.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah Dinah, your crush might not be one-sided... xD


	3. Chapter 3

By now, Dinah is somewhat used to Helena not being very talkative, especially not during missions, and so, isn’t bothered much when the assassin sits quietly next to her, keeping her gaze on the store which might be the gang’s next target; she knows that Helena tends to get very focused when they are on missions, she has no mind for smalltalk or banter then, and while Dinah has found this a bit strange at first, she’s not bothered by it anymore.

Dinah keeps stealing glances at her as they sit side by side, having chosen a spot where they have a good view of the store, but can’t really be seen from the road or sidewalk unless someone knows they are there; even though it’s their goal to just take their targets out without killing them, Helena has brought her crossbow, the weapon hanging down her back where she can easily grab it, should it be needed, and she is wearing her fingerless gloves again, reinforced with small steel pieces so her punches pack even more power.

_ Not like she really needs that _ , Dinah ponders as she risks another glance, Helena is wearing a sleeveless shirt again so she can get a very good view of her arms, especially with how close they are sitting to each other,  _ she looks like she could punch through a brick wall if she puts her mind to it. _

“There”, Helena says, distracting her from her ponderings, “those guys over there, they look suspicious.”

Dinah takes a look and has to admit they do; there’s four of them, getting out of a beat-up looking car, and when they open the trunk and start pulling out baseball bats and brass knuckles, Helena and Dinah are quick to realize these are their guys. 

Dinah hurriedly speaks into the mic clipped to her collar, informing Renee that they have their eyes on the gang, the suspicion confirmed when they pull on the animal masks which apparently are their thing; Renee tells them to get moving then and that she will join them as fast as she can, Dinah agreeing to that before she cuts the connection again.

“Montoya’s on her way”, she tells Helena, as the receiving piece is in her ear so Helena hasn’t heard Renee’s side of the conversation, “let’s get moving, stop them before they can get into the store.”

Helena nods her agreement to that and comes to her feet, Dinah doing the same; they are quick to stride over to where the guys are getting ready, and Dinah calls out “Hey!”, this might cost them the element of surprise, she knows, but they are close to the store’s entrance, and she really doesn’t want them to go in there and endanger the people inside.

They turn to look at them, and while the Birds of Prey haven’t quite made a name for themselves yet, they either still recognize or at least realize they aren’t just two random women; they all bring up their weapons, and Helena is glad none of them has a gun, as it would have made that fight quite a bit more dangerous.

Baseball bats can do a lot of damage as well though, and so, Helena tells herself to not be reckless; one of them, fittingly wearing a bull mask, lets out a roar as he charges at her, swinging the bat over his shoulder for a harder impact, but his attack is rash and a bit clumsy, and Helena easily sidesteps his charge, is quick to turn and to kick him in the back, and the baseball bat goes flying as he hits the ground, his breath knocked out of him.

“Don’t just run at them you idiots!” one of them, his mask a bald eagle, snaps, and Helena immediately pins him as the leader, “we’re four and they’re two, form teams!

“You’re three”, Dinah corrects him, the guy Helena has taken down still groaning on the ground, “and you’ll be down to two right about… now.”

She lands a perfect roundhouse kick straight in the face of the guy nearest to her, and he stumbles back, hitting the car before he goes down, she can’t see his face thanks to the mask, but she knows he is dazed; from the corner of her eye, she can see another one pull his fist back, brass knuckles glinting on his fingers, but before he can try to actually land a hit, a firm hand grabs his arm from behind, Helena glaring at him as she uses her other hand to punch him in the back, Dinah wincing in sympathy as she is fairly certain she has hit him right in the kidneys.

Unlike his companion, he doesn’t go down, but Dinah isn’t sure if that’s due to his own pain resistance or because Helena still has a firm grip on his arm; and she uses that grip to throw him over her shoulder, and as he hits the hood of their car and slides down to the ground, he doesn’t get back on his feet, groaning beneath his mask.

That leaves only the leader standing, and he doesn’t remain that way for long, as Dinah gives him no chance to do anything; and just as she sends him down with two powerful kicks, Renee comes jogging down the sidewalk, grumbling when she sees that the other two have finished the job while she has been on the way, Dinah once more amazed at how fast such fights can be over, it always feels much longer, but probably has taken less than a minute.

“You couldn’t leave one for me?” Renee wants to know, making Dinah smirks while Helena shrugs, the assassin almost casually kicking one of the guys again when it looks as if he might try to get back up, “I jogged here for nothing?”

“It was just four guys”, Helena points out, glaring at the guy she just has kicked when he shifts again, and he actually yelps and lies still, “sorry?”

Renee just sighs, and pulls out her phone to alert her contact at GCPD about the bad guys ready to be arrested; Dinah gives her another smirk, and that is when Helena suddenly glances up, eyes narrowing - before she shoots forward and makes Dinah yelp in surprise as she tackles her, the singer falling silent though when a shot echoes through the night and a bullet hits the pavement, right where she has been standing a second ago.

“Shit!” Renee yelps as she pulls her gun, glancing up at the roof the shot has come from; Helena wastes no time either, she’s quick to spring back to her feet and to aim her crossbow, but doesn’t fire, grimacing as Dinah comes to her feet again, dusting herself off, eying the hole in the pavement where the bullet has hit. 

“Gone”, she says while Renee lowers her gun again as well, “shit. Come on, we gotta up there, see if they left something behind.”

“Shit”, Dinah lets out, feeling her stomach clench as she realizes how close she just has been to getting shot, “if you hadn’t noticed… Damn, how did you even realize that was happening?”

“Reflection”, Helena tells her, now looking at her in worry, and Dinah wonders if she looks as sick to her stomach as she feels, “saw it glint off the barrel. Hey, are you okay?”

“Yeah”, Dinah tells her, having to swallow, but at the same time touched that Helena has noticed, “I am, because of you and your sharp eyes. Thank you.”

Helena just gives a terse nod, then surprises her by reaching out and briefly touching her shoulder, she knows Helena isn’t one to initiate physical contact often; this makes her feel even better, and she manages a small smile, glad when Helena smiles back at her after a moment.

“Renee”, she then says, glancing at the former detective, “stay here with Dinah, I’ll go up on that roof and see if I can find anything.”

Renee nods her agreement, glancing at the bullet hole in the pavement before she looks at Dinah again, asking her if she’s sure she’s okay; and as Helena heads off to find a way up onto the roof, she hears Dinah reassure the former cop that she is, thanks to Huntress, and while Helena is angry at whoever has tried to shoot Dinah, she’s also glad the singer is fine, now focused on finding out who has done this and why.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good thing Helena has sharp eyes XD


	4. Chapter 4

Helena quickly finds a fire escape which lets her climb up to the roof the sniper has used, and she figures this is how said sniper has gotten up there as well; she also has been trained in using such a weapon, even though she never has been fond of it, and while she’s not as good as it as Luca, the man who has taught her, she knows she’s good enough at handling it, and she knows better than to choose her location so that a glint of light can be seen off the barrel.

She’s glad that whoever has tried to shoot Dinah apparently isn’t very good at sniping people, and has made this mistake; this, after all, has allowed her to notice in time, and she doesn’t want to think about what would have happened if she hadn’t.

Luca has taken her along one time, after all, when he has taken a target out with his sniper rifle, and has had her watch through binoculars, to teach her respect for the weapon and what it does, and she remembers well what has happened to the target’s head when Luca has made his shot, how the man’s head has exploded like a melon dropped to the floor.

_ Don’t think about that _ , she tells herself, she has found it hard to stop thinking about it for quite a while back then, the sight having haunted her dreams a few weeks, despite how all three of her adoptive fathers have told her how she has to be able to stomach such things if she wants vengeance,  _ it didn’t happen, so there is no need to think about it. _

She focuses on the task at hand instead, making her way to the spot where the sniper has been hiding out; the mistake the sniper has made when choosing that spot leaves her confident that perhaps, more mistakes have been made, in form of items left behind, something Luca always has told her to avoid, she remembers the little portable ashtray he always has brought to his jobs, so not even his cigarette ash would be left behind.

Clearly, the person who’s been up here hasn’t been so careful, as Helena not only finds cigarette butts, but an empty can of energy drink, as well; and the items are all to near where she figures the sniper has been waiting, leaving her quite confident that they have been left behind by their culprit and not by someone coming up here for a smoke. 

For a moment, she regrets that she has no evidence bag to store the stuff in, then realizes it wouldn’t do much good as they have no contact who would get them access to the sort of lab they’d need to make any use of this; still she uses one of her crossbow bolts to pick up the drink can without touching it, then makes her way back down to the other two, Renee raising her brows when she sees the can Helena is carefully balancing on her bolt. 

“Found that”, Helena states before Renee or Dinah can ask, “up there, with some cigarette butts. Guess our sniper enjoyed that while waiting for us.”

“That doesn’t seem very professional”, Dinah comments, Renee nodding along, “isn’t a sniper supposed to, I don’t know, not leave any tracks?”

“Yeah”, Helena agrees to that, only confusing Dinah further, clarifying though when she goes on, “whoever did this didn’t really know what they were doing, a good sniper also would choose a spot where no light glints off the rifle. So at least, we’re not dealing with a pro, or one of us would be dead now.”

“Well, that makes me feel better”, Dinah sarcastically says, and Helena smiles for a moment before she realizes the singer hasn’t quite meant it and clears her throat, glad that neither Renee nor Dinah point out her little mishap, “Renee, you able to do anything with that drink can?”

“Check for fingerprints”, Renee tells her, and Dinah feels a bit better, “I still got everything I need for that. Maybe one of my contacts can run them for me, too.”

“Good”, Helena comments, not really surprised when Renee pulls a ziploc baggie from her pocket, clearly, equipment to lift fingerprints off of objects isn’t the only thing the former cop still has access to; she holds the baggie open, and Helena drops the can into it, then shrugs when Renee asks her if she can maybe get the bullet, too.

“I can try”, the assassin says with another shrug, pulling one of her knives; Dinah watches how she kneels down next to where the bullet has hit, and it takes her barely thirty seconds to get the bullet out of the pavement, Dinah feeling quite impressed and a bit warm at the ease with which the taller woman has done this, even though the way her muscles have tensed has shown it hasn’t been as effortless as she has made it look.

She drops the bullet into the baggie as well, Renee thanking her as she zips it up; then, she reassures them she will let them know as soon as she has had this checked, and that she will get to having that done right away, both Dinah and Helena nodding in response.

“Take care you guys”, she adds as she pockets the baggie, “just in case our culprit makes another attempt. Maybe stay together tonight.”

“Yeah, good idea”, Helena agrees, and while Dinah isn’t sure this truly is necessary, she nods as well after a moment, figuring it can’t hurt, Helena turning to look at her while Renee heads off and to her car.

“Renee’s right”, she says, Dinah nodding again, “we should stay together, for now. You want to go to the base? Or to your place?”

“The base”, Dinah decides at once, oddly glad when Helena looks as if she approves of this, “if someone does follow us or something, I don’t want them to know where I live.”

“Good thinking”, Helena tells her, and Dinah figures this is high praise from someone who has trained to be a badass assassin for fifteen years, and has been taught all tricks of the trade, “should we tell Renee to join us there?”   


“She’ll probably go hang out with Ellen”, Dinah tells her, Helena nodding after a moment, she’s not quite sure what exactly is going on with Renee and Ellen as they seem mad at each other as often as they appear all happy together, “so she should be good. Also, she might get grumpy if we tell her to leave Ellen’s place and hang with us.”

Helena just nods again, deciding not to question any of this, as Dinah seems to know what she is talking about; Dinah, Helena has been quick to learn, always knows what she is talking about when it comes to these sort of things, and thankfully, she’s always willing to explain to Helena whenever she’s lost and has no idea what is going on. 

“Alright”, Dinah distracts her from her ponderings about how lucky she is to have a friend like her, “should we get moving, then? Honestly, I guess our sniper is long gone, but it makes me nervous to stand around out here after someone has tried to shoot me like ten minutes ago.”

“Sure”, Helena says, then goes on, in an attempt to make her feel better, “and, um, I’m pretty sure they weren’t after you specifically. They probably are after all three of us.”

“Is that supposed to make me feel better?” Dinah wants to know, raising her eyebrows; Helena feels awkward again at once, that has been her intent, but she’s not sure she has managed to bring that point across, clearing her throat before she nods, momentarily tensing a bit as she’s not sure how Dinah will react now.

Dinah looks back at her for a few more seconds, long enough so Helena starts to get truly nervous - before she singer lets out a burst of laughter, and surprises Helena by wrapping one arm around her waist, the assassin feeling her cheeks heat up as she feels the warmth of Dinah’s arm even through her shirt. 

“You’re adorable”, Dinah declares, and if anyone else had said that to her, Helena would have been offended, but as it is Dinah, she can only smile and shrug a bit, Dinah laughing again, Helena feeling quite pleased when she leaves her arm where it is, “my adorable assassin friend. Come on you adorable weirdo, let’s go.”

Helena lets out a vaguely agreeing noise, and as they get moving to Dinah’s car, the singer doesn’t pull her arm back, and while Helena normally isn’t very used to being touched, she finds herself enjoying this, a bit dismayed even that they don’t have to walk far, and wondering if she’ll get to experience this or something like it soon again in the future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Helena, you adorable weirdo. XD


	5. Chapter 5

“We ought to get a TV in here”, Dinah states a while later as they are at their base and getting comfortable on the couch, handing Helena a cold beer, “for nights such as this one, when we hang out here. But I guess we can use the laptop to watch something.”

“Yeah, sure”, Helena agrees, cracking the beer open, Dinah doing the same before she moves to open up Netflix, keeping her gaze focused on the screen as she asks Helena what she wants to watch; the assassin shrugs, then realizes Dinah can’t see that and says she doesn’t really have anything in mind and that Dinah should choose something.

“Alright”, Dinah is quick to agree, smirking as she scrolls through the options, “let’s get you educated on movies, there’s a few which are a must-see. Let’s start with, hmmm… Pirates of the Caribbean, you’ll like it, it has some nice fight scenes.”

“Okay”, Helena amiably agrees, Dinah has chosen movies for them a few times to watch so far and she has liked most of them; Dinah gives her a brief smile, then starts the movie and comfortably leans back, it’s not ideal to watch on the laptop screen, but it’s better than nothing.

They watch in silence for a while, the only sounds being from the movie and the laughter Dinah sometimes lets out, mixed with the softer snickers coming from Helena; Dinah is glad Helena is enjoying herself, and as the movie goes on, she ends up moving closer to the taller woman, pretty much cuddled up to her by the time they are the halfway point of the film, her head resting on the assassin’s shoulder.

Helena has gone a bit tense when Dinah has moved so close to her, but only for a few seconds, now relaxed again, and Dinah figures this means it’s okay; and this only is confirmed as another moment later, Helena moves to put her arm around her, allowing her a more comfortable position and getting them even closer to each other.

“This is nice”, Helena is the one who speaks up after they just have sat like this for a while, Dinah letting out an agreeing noise, Helena’s hand is warm on her upper arm and she can feel her breathe, the whole sensation making her feel somewhat sleepy, even though she knows the movie still has quite a bit of runtime left, and she struggles to hold back a yawn, not wanting Helena to ask if they should go to bed then, if only so she can stay close to her like this for a bit longer. 

“I agree”, she makes herself say out loud, her position keeping her from seeing the small smile which curls Helena’s lips, “if I had known you’re so comfy, I would have done this sooner.”

Helena lets out a snort at that, Dinah smiling to herself as she feels the taller woman rub her arm a bit; it’s probably not even a conscious movement, she thinks to herself as Helena’s hand stills again, doesn’t move away though, but it still feels nice, and it shows how comfortable Helena is around her now, compared to how she has tensed up every time Dinah has touched her when they have started out as the Birds of Prey. 

This realization in turn makes her think of what Renee has said, about how Helena is apparently looking at her, and she realizes that once again, the former cop has given them a chance to be alone here together, finding herself wondering if she should make a move now or if it would be too soon.

_ Too soon _ , she then thinks to herself, nearly scoffing at her own thoughts,  _ Renee is right, you’ve been wanting her for weeks. And if Renee is right about the other thing as well, that want is not one-sided. _

“This is really nice”, Helena distracts her from those ponderings, repeating herself, but she sounds a bit hesitant now, and Dinah wonders if she has similar thoughts and is gathering her courage to say more or perhaps do something, her own heart speeding up, “I, um… I haven’t… been close to anyone like that. For a while.”

Dinah wants to move so she can look at her at hearing that, but that would mean to end the closeness, and she’s fairly sure Helena is only talking about this now because they are so close right this second, and she doesn’t want to end it and maybe prompt the woman to clam up again. 

“I didn’t miss it”, Helena goes on after a few moments have ticked by, “I was okay with how it was but… I’d miss it now. With you.”

“Me too”, Dinah reassures her at once, now sitting up a bit after all, just enough so she can look Helena in the eyes, “I haven’t been close to anyone in a while. I’ve forgotten how nice it can be to just… have someone there.”

Helena nods, then swallows heavily, Dinah is close enough to her to notice; and she can tell that it’s hard for the assassin to keep the eye contact up now, but she doesn’t look away, something Dinah gives her credit for, a pleasant shiver running down her spine when Helena’s hand slides from her arm to her back, coming to a gentle rest there, she can feel the warmth of it even through the fabric of her shirt. 

“I’m glad you didn’t get hurt today”, Helena tells her, her cheeks flushing when Dinah places one hand on her other arm, the singer unsure if it’s her own words, the touch or perhaps a mix of both, “I… You mean a lot to me, if something happened to you…”

“Nothing will happen to me”, Dinah is quick to reassure her, glad when Helena gives her a little smile and doesn’t bother to point out that, with what they do, it is very likely that something might happen to Dinah, but then, they both are aware of this, and there is no need to say it out loud, “cause I know you got my back, just like I got yours. We’re a team.”

Helena nods, then clears her throat, and shifts a bit on her seat, Dinah can tell she is gearing up to say something, and doesn’t speak up, even though she wants to tell her she wants to be more than teammates and friends, looking closely at her now and thus noticing how her gaze briefly drops to her lips before it comes back up to meet her eyes again, her heart skipping an excited beat as she realizes where this might go now.

“We are”, Helena says, shifting a bit again, “but lately I… I’ve had… shit, I’m not good with words, I…”

She falls silent again and swallows once more - and then she leans in and from one moment to the next, she’s kissing Dinah, the singer finding herself quite surprised even though she has been hoping that this is where this whole moment would go, she never would have thought Helena would just go for it like that.

It only takes her a second to get over her surprise though, then she regains enough of her wits to kiss Helena back, simultaneously moving closer to her so she can wrap both arms around her; she feels Helena do the same, and can’t hold back a little sigh when the kiss deepens, the kiss and the way Helena’s arms are around her sending waves of heat right into her core.

One of her hands comes up to entangle in Helena’s hair as the kiss keeps going on, it truly has been a while since she has been kissed like that, and she’s very happy that Helena is the one to do so now; and clearly, Helena enjoys herself as well, as she makes no move to pull back, but keeps on kissing her, Dinah managing to move so that she ends up in her lap without actually breaking the kiss. 

Finally, she does have to pull back, breathing heavier, Helena doing the same, her cheeks flushed; smiling, Dinah moves her hand from the assassin’s hair to cup her jaw, her smile widening when Helena immediately leans into her touch and lets out a small content sigh. 

“You might not be good with words”, Dina thoughtfully says, smirking a bit, already able to guess what Helena’s reaction will be to what she’ll say next, “but you certainly are good with your mouth.”

Just as she has predicted, Helena blushes deeply at that, but smiles as well - before she shrugs, then pulls Dinah in for another kiss, the singer more than happy to kiss her back, glad that finally, they have made it to this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Smooooochies :D


	6. Chapter 6

“So, um”, Helena starts quite a while - and quite a few more kisses - later, clearing her throat and prompting Dinah to look at her; the movie has been over for a while, but they are snuggling comfortably on the couch, and neither of them wants to get up, not minding sitting here together in silence, especially not when they can keep busy with kissing. 

“So”, Helena says again, then seems to realize she has already said that and makes a face, Dinah giving her an encouraging smile though, the fact that the singer clearly isn’t judging her for her behaviour making it easier for the assassin to go on, “what… are we, now? Dating? ...am I your girlfriend? I’m sorry, I really don’t know how any of this works.”

“Don’t be sorry”, Dinah is quick to reassure her, earning a small, but relieved smile, “and, well, it’s up to you and me to decide that. I have to say though, the thought of saying  _ This is Helena, my girlfriend _ to people is quite nice.”

“Yeah”, Helena agrees at once, her cheeks reddening a bit again, but her smile is widening, “that sounds… good. It sounds right.”

“I agree”, Dinah lets her know, then kisses her again, Helena might not know much about relationships, she thinks to herself, but she certainly knows what she’s doing when it comes to kissing, sending pleasant shivers up and down her spine.

“Lucky me”, Dinah mumbles once they have pulled apart again, making Helena shiver noticeably by tracing her jawline with her fingertips, “my girlfriend is an amazing kisser. You got any practice before you came back to Gotham? Please tell me you didn’t leave a trail of broken hearts in Sicily.”

“No”, Helena replies with a small laugh, the sound causing Dinah’s heart to skip a beat, Helena doesn’t laugh often, and Dinah not only likes the sound, but is happy and proud that she has been the one who’s caused it, “not even one broken heart, honest. All I did there was train.”

“Hm”, Dinah lets out, moving her hand from the taller woman’s face to rest it on her shoulder, “then maybe, it’s your Italian heritage, either way, you’re really good at this. I might get hooked.”

“I guess there’s worse things to be addicted to”, Helena thoughtfully comments, making it Dinah’s turn to let out a small laugh - before she nods and kisses her again, earning a content sigh from the assassin, and for the first time since they have met, Helena doesn’t feel tense when Dinah touches her, her muscle firm, but not as rock-hard as it usually is when Dinah runs her hands down her bare arms. 

“Damn”, she mutters as they pull apart again, giving Helena’s biceps an appreciative squeeze, “you know, I’ve already admired those guns when we’ve met in the Booby Trap and you took off your jacket, but they feel even better than they look.”

Helena’s cheeks redden again at that, and she clears her throat, clearly not used to being given such compliments; Dinah smiles at her as she give another squeeze, then finds herself unable to hold back a yawn, the events of the day and night taking a toll on her, Helena looking amused now as she raises her eyebrows.

“Yeah yeah”, Dinah says before the assassin actually has the chance to speak up, “I know you’re still fresh and fit, if Renee was here, she’d ask you again what you’re made of. Shit, I’m far from out of shape, but I am tired, I should get some sleep.”

“Me too”, Helena agrees, to Dinah’s slight surprise, the singer having been halfway sure she would tell her that she’d stay up a bit longer and maybe work out, or do some maintenance on her weapons, “you might find this hard to believe, but I do get tired.”

“That is hard to believe”, Dinah lets her know, earning another smirk from the assassin, only for Helena’s cheeks to redden again when she goes on, “so, you wanna come to my room with me then? Cuddle? I promise I won’t get handsy.”

Helena feels a bit weird at that, here she is, a woman in her mid-twenties being told by her newly found girlfriend that said girlfriend won’t get handsy with her; on the other hand though, she pretty much has had her first kiss not too long ago, and she’s glad that Dinah just rolls with how new all of this for her, and doesn’t get judgemental or odd about it, knowing that this is not something to be taken for granted. 

“Cuddles sound nice”, she thus says, earning a happy smile from Dinah, “fair warning though, I haven’t ever shared a bed with someone, so I have no idea if I snore or kick or whatever.”

“I’m sure it’ll be fine”, Dinah reassures her, a bit regretful as she has to get off of Helena’s lap now, but she comforts herself with the thought that she’ll be cuddled up to her in a few minutes, “and I know for a fact that I don’t snore, but I can be a restless sleeper, so sorry in advance if I kick you.”

Helena doesn’t mind the thought much, shrugging as she comes to her feet when Dinah does the same; Dinah gives her another smile, then grasps her hand, and they make their way to her bedroom together, Dinah quickly getting her wish as she cuddles up to Helena once they have changed into their sleepwear and the assassin wraps both arms around her, holding her close as they both drift off into sleep.

* * *

Helena is the first to wake in the next morning, which doesn’t surprise her, as her inner clock is very accurate and dependable, she wakes up every morning at seven thirty on the dot, something she has learned during her time in Sicily; this is the first time she wakes up with someone in bed though, she’s lying on her side and can feel the warmth of Dinah’s body as the singer lies curled up against her back. 

One of Dinah’s arms is draped across her waist, and their legs are entangled as well, making it pretty much impossible for Helena to get up without waking her; as it is though, she doesn’t mind the thought of just staying like this for a while longer, and she holds back a content sigh as she relaxes again, feeling and hearing Dinah breathe slowly behind her as the singer is still fast asleep.

As she lies there, Helena tries to remember the last time she has woken up and hasn’t gotten out of bed straight away to get started with her day; she figures that she probably has done so when she has been a child, but then, even then she’s had quite the schedule already, her parents having been educating her so she’d take the family business over one day, and there hasn’t been much time for just lying around in bed.

Dinah stirs next to her, and Helena goes still, worried she might have woken her up; the singer lets out a low sigh, barely audible, then Helena feels her tighten her embrace around her as she mumbles “good morning”, Helena to her own surprise finding herself smiling as she turns so she can look at her.

“Morning”, she returns the greeting, only to raise her eyebrows when Dinah lets out a low groan, if she hadn’t known better, she would have worried that Dinah is hurt, but she’s fairly certain the singer is perfectly fine, and so she’s not quite sure where that sound is coming from.

“Your voice is already sexy any other time”, Dinah explains the reason for her odd reaction, and Helena feels her cheeks heat up, “but when you just woke up? Yowza, that went right into my belly.”

“Oh”, Helena lets out, aware that her voice is a bit more gravelly than usually when she just has woken up, but she never would have thought it would have that effect on anyone, “you think my voice is sexy?”

“Woman,  _ everything _ about you is sexy”, Dinah is quick to tell her, only making her blush deeper; the singer lets out a small delighted laugh, then leans in to kiss her, feeling good and content as her lips meet Helena’s again.

She certainly could get used to starting her days like this, she thinks to herself as Helena kisses her back, and she’s glad she’ll have the chance to do so.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm with Dinah on the sexiness of Helena's voice XD


	7. Chapter 7

When Renee arrives at their base later that day, she finds them in the training area, Helena using the weights while Dinah is busy with the punching bag; it looks perfectly normal and innocent, but still Renee can tell at once that something has changed, not sure how she knows, but she does.

“Finally!” she exclaims, both Helena and Dinah pausing to look at her, Helena already blushing while Dinah just gives her a questioning look, managing to look perfectly innocent, something Renee isn’t buying for a second though, triumphant now as she goes on, “you finally hooked up, about damn time. And don’t even try to deny it.”

“Why would we deny it”, Dinah asks in response, while Helena clears her throat, but doesn’t say anything, “after all your teasing, I imagine you’re fine with it, so there’s no reason for us to sneak around.”

“I’m not fine with it”, Renee tells her, Dinah raising her brows while Helena looks worried, both of them relaxing again though when the former cop goes on, “I’m happy for the two of you, you deserve something good in your life. And I think you’ll be good for each other.”

“Thank you”, Dinah sincerely says, earning a smile from the older woman; then, Renee apparently is done with the topic of Helena and Dinah hooking up, as she changes the topic, even though what she is saying isn’t what Helena and Dinah have been hoping for.

“So my contact checked the fingerprints I got off the soda can”, she tells them, “but no luck, they weren’t in the GCPD database.”

“Damn”, Dinah lets out while Helena frowns, “so we have no idea who our sniper friend is, and no way to find out. You think they’ll try again?”

“Probably”, Helena says with a small sigh, “maybe with some other method, if they actually realize they are no good as a sniper. We should be careful, keep an eye out.”

Dinah and Renee both nod at that, Dinah doesn’t like the thought of someone out there eager to kill them, but she figures it has only been a matter of time until that would happen; they are making a name for themselves after all as the Birds of Prey, so it’s no surprise that someone out there wants them dead.

“Luckily we got a trained assassin on our team”, Renee comments, making Dinah smirk and nod, “you know all the tricks, don’t you?”

“I suppose so”, Helena replies with a small shrug, “they did teach me everything they knew, and they knew a lot. So I at least should notice when someone is tracking us or something.”

“Good”, Renee states, somewhat surprised when this earns her a little smile from Helena, as the assassin normally isn’t one to smile quickly, but then, the woman seems more relaxed and happier as a whole, something Renee blames on the development with Dinah, “that’s a start, if they do try to track us. Just keep your eyes open.” 

Helena nods at that, and as there is nothing else to say about whoever is after them for the moment, Renee then changes the topic again, by telling the other two that she’s gotten a new lead from Ellen; it’s a drug dealer and his entourage, and according to the DA, he’s part of a bigger ring, taking him down will strike a good blow against the men behind him and will weaken them, something they all know to be a good start to putting an end to their business.

“Ellen doesn’t know for sure where he usually can be found”, Renee goes on, the other two nodding, figuring that, if the DA knew this, the cops would too and would just go there and arrest the guy, “but she does know his general area of work, he seems to prefer an area near one of the sleazer clubs of town, the Area 51 one.”

“Oh jeez”, Dinah lets out, making a face, “yeah, that is pretty sleazy, I’ve auditioned there before I started to work for Sionis, and it’s already been worse than the Black Mask club back then. I don’t imagine it has changed much.”

“Probably got worse”, Renee dryly says, Helena just listening now, the only club she ever has been to in her life has been the Black Mask club and she only has been there tracking Zsasz, not having paid much attention to the surroundings and the other people there, “you remember much of it?”

“No”, Dinah has to admit, making a face, “it’s been a while ago and I’ve only been there once, and made sure to get out again quickly. The owner was even creepier than Sionis, honestly, I was surprised back then he didn’t drop his pants then and there and outright tell me I’d get the job if I slept with him.”

Helena’s gaze darkens at that, and Dinah figures it’s a good thing the man in question isn’t there right in this moment, because she’s pretty sure the assassin would have ripped his head off with her bare hands; and Dinah finds herself touched by this, she can’t remember the last time anyone has gotten angry on her behalf over something like this, and the look on Helena’s face makes her feel quite warm and tingly inside now.

“No problem”, Renee decides, “we’ll just take a look around there then, perhaps find something interesting or find someone we can talk to, someone who will know where we can find him.”

“I’ll leave that part to you”, Helena says at once, making Dinah smirk while Renee snorts a bit, “you guys are better at talking to people than I am.”

“And maybe don’t punch the owner guy the second you see him”, Renee advises, Helena raising her brows, clearly not willing to make any promises about that, “I’ve seen the look on your face a minute ago when Dinah talked about him. Maybe you’ll get to punch him after we’ve found something useful there.”

Helena smiles at that, Dinah noting that it’s a smile quite similar to the one she has shown at the Booby Trap when Harley has pointed out she’s killed Sionis’ BFF; and now that this has been settled, Helena relaxes noticeably again, still smirking to herself, clearly looking forward to punching the man who has been gross to Dinah. 

“You know”, Dinah says as Renee heads off to prepare some stuff for their evening mission, stepping closer to Helena and wrapping both arms around her, smiling when Helena immediately returns the embrace, she really does enjoy having those muscular arms around herself, “I don’t think I’ve ever had someone get so angry at another person acting that way, on my behalf. It’s sweet.”

“I know you’re not a damsel in distress”, Helena says in response, Dinah smiling again as she has to nod in agreement with that, “and that you can take care of yourself. But… Thinking of that guy treating you like that, that made me angry, so yeah, I might punch him, even if I know you can kick his ass perfectly well without my help.”

“That I can”, Dinah agrees, squeezing Helena a bit and making her smile with what she says next, “but I appreciate your willingness to do it too, for me. It’s good to know that someone has my back.”

“Of course I have your back”, Helena reassures her at once, making her smile again as well, “anytime.”

“I know”, Dinah lets her know, moving one hand up to play wit the hair at the back of the assassin’s neck, smile widening when Helena blushes a bit at the touch, clearly not used to being touched like this, “just like I have yours.”

Helena has a moment to smile and nod, then Dinah pulls her in for a kiss, and her anger at the sleazy man is quickly blown away at how good it feels to have Dinah’s lips on her own again, a feeling she doubts she will get enough of anytime soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Helena's little smile back then at the amusement park was so cute XD


	8. Chapter 8

Dinah can tell that Helena is uncomfortable the very second they set foot into the club, and she can’t really blame her, the place isn’t dirty per se, but she can tell the people there are shady, probably not earning the money they are spending here with nine-to-five jobs, and there are quite a lot of people in the club and the music is loud, things Dinah knows Helena isn’t very fond of.

Eager to make her feel better, Dinah takes hold of the taller woman’s hand, intertwining their fingers; Helena gives her a brief, but grateful glance, Dinah squeezing her hand and giving her a reassuring smile before they make their way to the bar together, Renee right behind them, glancing around as she wonders if she has arrested any of the people in here and if some of them might recognize her.

At least so far, there are no signs of trouble, the three of them making their way to the bar; there, Dinah orders beer for the three of them, leaning against the counter to scan the club afterwards, Helena remaining close to her, clearly still uncomfortable. 

“Over there”, Dinah is the one to spot the owner, she has only seen the man once and it has been a while ago, but she remembers him all too well after his sleazy behaviour, “that guy over there, he’s the owner.”

Helena immediately forgets all about how uncomfortable she feels in this place, her gaze darkening again as she stares at the man; her adoptive dads have taught her that appearances can be deceiving, but he looks like the kind of guy who’d act like this, and her fists itch just from looking at him.

“Hey”, Dinah says next to her, placing a calming hand on her back, and Helena is a bit impressed by how well the singer is reading her already, “deep breath, alright? You look as if you want to go over there and smash your bottle on his head.”

“Good idea”, Helena says, tearing her gaze away from the man so she can look at Dinah, their eyes meeting already enough to help her calm, “I was thinking about just punching him, but the bottle might leave a more long-lasting impression.”

“I’m not so sure”, Dinah says with a small laugh, “I’ve seen you punch. No punching or hitting people with bottles for now though, we are here to get information, and let’s try doing that without breaking bones first, yeah?”

“Okay”, Helena agrees with a small sigh, earning another laugh from Dinah; and just then, the club owner notices her, and clearly recognizes her, his eyebrows going up before he grins, a sleazy grin Dinah remembers well, he has shown the exact same grin when he has made his offer back then. 

“And he’s noticed me”, Dinah comments as he gets up from his seat, feeling Helena go tense again next to her, “let me do some talking before you start punching, alright? Maybe he can tell us what we need to know.”

Helena just lets out a grumble in reply, prompting Dinah to rub her back soothingly while Renee snickers into her beer; and then, the guy reaches them, smiling at Dinah again, barely acknowledging Helena and Renee, despite how Helena is glaring at him, skillfully ignoring the baleful way she is looking at him.

“Dinah”, he says, Dinah remembering his name in the same moment, not bothering to smile back at him, and not trying particularly hard to sound friendly when she responds.

“Paul”, she returns his greeting, and he raises his eyebrows at her tone, his smile wavering for a bit, but he regains his composure quickly, Dinah taking note of how he briefly glances at her hand resting on Helena’s back before his gaze returns to her face again.

“I heard about what happened to your previous boss”, he says, and she wonders if he also has heard about her involvement in it, but if he has, he doesn’t let it show, “is that why you are here? Looking for a new job? The offer still stands, you know.”

He smiles his sleazy smile again, making it clear that he talks about  _ everything _ he has offered back then, and Dinah knows that Helena normally isn’t good at reading people, especially people she doesn’t know, but Dinah can feel her go tense again, so she knows very well what the guy is talking about, and she doesn’t like it one bit.  


“No, thank you”, Dinah is quick to get that idea out of his head, and now his smile does vanish and he frowns, “we’re here for a different reason. We are looking to… purchase something.”

He raises his eyebrows again, and nods at her to go again; Dinah feels a bit uncomfortable, lying about wanting to buy drugs, but she tells herself it’s for a good cause, and so she tries hard to be convincing, and it seems Paul is buying it, as he starts smiling again by the time she gets done with spinning her little tale.

“I might be able to help you out”, he lets her know, and Dinah hopes for his sake he won’t say something creepy again, because then he’ll get punched by Helena for sure, and while she doesn’t mind the idea, she wants the info first, “I know someone who offers what you are looking for.”

He gives them a location not far from his club, as Ellen has suspected when she has given Renee the lead; and once he has done so, he smirks at Dinah again, and leans closer to her, Helena immediately tensing up again, but he once more ignores her glare as he grins at the singer.

“You should reconsider my offer”, he says, giving her another sleazy smirk, Renee rolling her eyes while Helena’s glare intensifies, “I’ll pay you more than Sionis did, too.”

“Thanks, but no”, Dinah tells him, then pointedly looks at Helena as she asks if they should head out, now that they have been given the info they needed; Renee nods and is the first to walk away from the bar, Dinah following suit a second later, and Helena being last to get moving - and slamming her elbow back as she walks past Paul in an almost casual move, not even bothering to look back as she hears him yelp behind her.

“Good one”, Dinah compliments after she has looked back and sees that Paul has actually gone down, sitting with his back against the counter now and clutching his nose; she halfway expects him to shout for someone to stop them, like Sionis would have, but he does no such thing, just staring after them as they leave, clearly having no idea why this just has happened and no idea how he should react to it.

Dinah regrets a bit that this hasn’t been a teaching moment for him, but she still appreciates that Helena has done it and grasps her hand as they leave the club, smiling to herself as she feels Helena’s fingers curl around her own, once again glad she has both the assassin and Renee in her corner now and that she has found people she can count on like this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't be gross to Dinah, unless you want Helena to smack you xD


	9. Chapter 9

The drug dealer is found fairly quickly at the location they have been given, and is taken care of quickly as well, he does have some goons around, but those are no match for the Birds of Prey; and so, not long after they have left the club, the dealer and his cronies are knocked out and tied up, Renee feeling good and proud as she pulls out her phone to call her contact and let them know about this newest catch.

She walks a few steps away as she talks on the phone, and Dinah moves closer to where Helena is standing; the taller woman seems oddly distracted though, keeps glancing down the alley where they have found their target, even keeps doing so when Dinah wraps one arm around her waist.

“Hey”, the singer says, this is unusual behaviour for Helena, they have only just gotten together, but even before their first kiss, Helena always has been quick to focus on her when she has approached her, “you okay? You didn’t get hurt, right?”   


“No”, Helena says at once, but Dinah still takes a closer, critical look at her, it hasn’t taken long for her to figure out the woman has a tendency to hide injuries when they’d started working together, but she can’t see any blood anywhere, so she figures that is a good sign, “I’m fine, it’s just…”

She glances towards to where the alley meets the road again, frowning; worried, Dinah looks that way too, but can’t spot anything out of the ordinary, giving Helena a questioning look, the assassin letting out a small sigh in response.

“I thought I saw someone”, she finally explains, Dinah now taking another look as well, but not spotting anyone, “watching us. Maybe it was just a shadow or something, but with the sniper out there…”

“Yeah, better to be safe than sorry”, Dinah comments, now feeling a bit nervous, even though she can’t spot anyone, looking up as well to make sure no sniper rifle is aimed at them from the roofs around them, “maybe we should get going, in case there really was someone there.”

Helena nods at that, and just then, Renee gets done with her call; Dinah tells her about what Helena maybe has seen, and the former cop agrees they should get moving then, they are done here after all and there is nothing left for them to do.

“We should stick together”, Renee comments as they walk to Dinah’s car together, having taken her ride to the club as it stands out much less in this area than Helena’s motorcycle, “let’s all stay at the base tonight? Just in case.”

Helena and Dinah both nod their agreement to that, neither minding much, Dinah looking forward to sharing her bed with the assassin again; and a moment later, she rolls her eyes when Renee grins and nudges her, a hint of mischief in her eyes when she speaks up again.

“You guys better keep it down though”, she says, her grin widening when Dinah huffs and Helena’s cheeks colour a bit, “I need my sleep, and I do not want to be woken up by your noises of happiness. If you know what I mean.”

“I don’t”, Helena says, completely deadpan and straightfaced, and Renee blinks; she stares at the assassin for a few seconds, and Helena blankly holds her gaze - before the corners of her mouth twitch, and Renee rolls her eyes, lightly punching her arm while Dinah snickers.

“I can’t believe this”, Renee declares as she gets into the backseat, Helena taking the passenger seat while Dinah of course drives, “Huntress not only made a joke, it  _ worked _ , too, and I completely fell for it. You’re a good influence on her already, Dinah.”

Dinah looks proud at that for a moment and smiles, then starts the engine; and as she drives back to their base, she places one hand on Helena’s thigh, Renee pointedly ignoring this in the backseat while Helena colours a bit again, but smiles at the singer and places her own hand over Dinah’s, leaving it there until they arrive at the base.

* * *

Sometimes, when Helena sleeps, her dreams are filled with blood.

The nightmares have gotten less since she has killed Zsasz, the last target on her list, and have lessened further still as she has become part of the Birds of Prey, has found a new purpose in her life which has nothing to do with bloody vengeance; they still come though, she doubts they will ever stop fully, no matter how many good deeds she does and how stable and calm she feels in her day to day life.

Tonight is another one of those nights, and the dream starts as it often does - she’s nine years old again, and she’s getting out of the limousine, and sees her family, and the men with the guns.

They start shooting, as they have back then, and her family starts going down around her; she doesn’t fall though, the scene changes, and she’s in the training room, for her first lesson in hand to hand combat with Luca, and he’s teaching her how to fight, it doesn’t take long until he lands his first hit, and blood splashes from her nose.

The dream shifts again then, and she dreams of the first time he has taken her with him when he has shown her how to use a sniper rifle; they have practiced first, on watermelons and later on apples, but she hasn’t seen it used on a person, and he has wanted her to see.

The head of his target explodes, and she’s a safe distance away, she’s with Luca, but she gets splattered with blood anyway, and she’s nine again and back at the mansion and covered in her family’s blood, her mother’s mostly and she knows some is from her father too and from her brother, it doesn’t matter which part of her life she dreams of, there is always blood.

Her mother looks at her and says her name with her dying breath, she remembers her mother’s voice still, but it’s not her mother’s voice, it’s Dinah’s voice, and it’s not weakening, it’s growing stronger and a bit frantic as she keeps saying her name, and finally, Helena opens her eyes. 

“Helena”, Dinah says again, and even though it’s fairly dark in the room, Helena can see the worry in her eyes, and hear it in her voice, she always has had good vision in the dark and has learned how to go from deep sleep to wide awake within seconds, “I’m sorry for waking you, but you were groaning and tossing and turning and… are you okay?”

For a moment, Helena considers keeping this to herself, to just say that she’s fine and that they should go back to sleep; this feels like a lie though, she doesn’t want to lie to Dinah and she figures Dinah should know, has a right to know, if they will do this relationship thing, it won’t be the last time she’s witnessing her having nightmares and even though Helena doesn’t know much about relationships, she knows it’s important and right to tell Dinah about this.

“I get nightmares”, she thus says, not beating around the bush, but then, she never has been one to do that, something Dinah is aware of, so this doesn’t catch her off-guard, “of… my family. And of the time after. I’m sorry for waking you.”

“Don’t be”, Dinah reassures her at once, moving to pull her into her arms, glad when Helena immediately snuggles up to her, she hasn’t been very used to people touching her in a friendly way when they have started working together, often tensing up at first when Dinah or Renee have touched her, but she’s clearly enjoying this now, perhaps even needs it, judging from how quick she has been to react like this.

“You want to talk about it?” Dinah asks once they have gotten comfortable again, Helena cuddled up to her now with her head resting on her shoulder; she’s rubbing the taller woman’s back and feels her tense at the question, but she relaxes again fairly quickly, and lets out a small sigh, her voice surprisingly steady when she responds.

“It’s blood”, she says, and Dinah’s hand briefly stills before she goes on, “it’s always blood. My family, my training sessions… stuff like that. It… It shifts, you know? Moments of my life but… there’s always blood.”

Dinah doesn’t quite know what to say to that, so she just keeps holding Helena, and keeps rubbing her back; it seems like there is no need for her to say anything, as Helena is noticeably more relaxed now, perhaps it’s the closeness or what she has said, or a mix of both, but whatever it is, it has helped.

“I’ve never told this to anyone”, Helena breaks the silence after a minute or two, “I’ve never… trusted anyone enough to talk about this. Thank you.”

“No, I gotta thank you”, Dinah tells her, rubbing her back again, “for sharing this with me. It means a lot.”

Helena props herself up on one elbow then so she ends up hovering above her, and kisses her, a slow and gentle kiss; she might find the right words all the time, Dinah thinks to herself as she kisses her back, but she certainly knows other ways to show her thoughts and feelings, ways Dinah is very appreciative of. 

She appreciates it much less when there is a low noise somewhere outside and Helena pulls back at once and is out of bed in a flash, grabbing her crossbow from the nightstand before Dinah even fully realizes she has started to move.

“What is it”, she asks, keeping her voice low without thinking about it; Helena gives her a brief glance as she readies her crossbow, the sound of the weapon being loaded seeming awfully loud in the quiet building.

“Someone’s outside”, the assassin says, sounding so sure of it that Dinah doesn’t doubt her for a second, “come on.”

She gets moving, doing so with a soundless grace Dinah has seen from her before, and while she knows this is a bad time for such thoughts, it impresses her; she tries to move just as quietly, but has no chance to do this and be as quick as Helena, only catching up to her when the assassin pushes the door open, just in time to see the taillights of a car retreat into the night.

“Shit”, Helena grumbles, momentarily considering bringing up her crossbow and firing, then deciding against it, the car is almost out of sight already, and it’d be a waste of a good bolt, “too late. They’re gone.”

“Damn”, Dinah lets out, stepping closer to her, Helena immediately wrapping one arm around her, “you think it has something to do with the sniper?”

“Probably”, Helena says after a moment, not surprising Dinah, but she still makes a face, “I’ll get some security installed around her. Cams, stuff like that. But for now, let’s go back to bed, they won’t come back here tonight, not when we know that they have been here.”

Dinah hopes Helena is right with that guess, but doesn’t question it, just nods, it is in the middle of the night and she’s tired; and so, they return to her bedroom, and Helena snuggles up to her again right away, Dinah holding her close and rubbing her back once more until they both drift off into sleep again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Helena having nightmares and Dinah comforting her is one of my favourite tropes in this fandom, can you tell? XD


	10. Chapter 10

In the next morning, Helena heads outside right after waking, while Dinah is in the shower, and checks the area where she has heard the noise the previous night; perhaps, she thinks to herself, her assassin dads would have scolded her for waiting until the next day with looking, but then, she has seen whoever it has been drive away, and wouldn’t have been able to spot much in the middle of the night, and using a flashlight would only have made hre a very visible target, in case the unknown culprit had come back.

So, she figures it’s okay to only check now, not expecting to find much as it is; just like at the spot where the sniper has been hidden, she finds a few cigarette butts, leaving them there for now as they have been of no use last time, and some tracks from the tires of the car the culprit has used, using her phone to snap a picture of them, not quite sure if that will be helpful, but figuring it can’t hurt.

As she studies the tracks, Helena finds herself wondering who this is, and why they haven’t made a move; they clearly have been right outside the window of her bedroom, it would have been the perfect opportunity to shoot both Dinah and her, she knows she would have made that kill, with her crossbow or with a silenced pistol, and she wonders why whoever is observing them hasn’t done so.

_ Maybe no longer trusts their shooting skills _ , she ponders as she tucks her phone away again, then makes her way back into their base,  _ after how the sniper attempt failed. _

She steps back inside, just in time to see Dinah come out of the bathroom wrapped up in a towel and nothing else; and for a few seconds, Helena’s mind goes perfectly blank as she gets a  _ very _ good look at the singer’s legs and arms and shoulders, and all thoughts of someone out there being after them are forgotten.

“Hey”, Dinah says, smirking a bit as she is very aware of the dumbstruck look on Helena’s face; blushing, Helena clears her throat as she snaps back into reality, she of course has been aware of how attractive Dinah is long before they have kissed for the first time, but seeing her like this now only has made her become much more aware of this, and she has to clear her throat before she can respond, nearly overwhelmed by her own strong reaction to the woman.

“Um”, she manages, then clears her throat again and tells herself not to be ridiculous, knowing her assassin dads would have scolded her for that for sure, allowing herself to be distracted like that, “hey. I, um, I checked outside. For whoever was there last night.”

“Found anything?” Dinah asks, looking perfectly innocent as she steps closer; the towel is tied just above her breasts, and even though there is nothing to see of them, Helena’s gaze drops down, and Dinah can tell it takes her quite a bit of willpower to look back up at her face again. 

“Cigarette butts”, she says, gaze briefly straying again before she scolds herself and tells herself to get her mind out of the gutter, “and tire tracks. Took a photo of those, maybe Renee can do something with that.”

“Good thinking”, Dinah compliments her, amused when Helena blushes a bit; she can also tell that Helena still is struggling to not outright stare at her, and takes pity on her, smiling as she takes another step closer, close enough to the assassin now that she can reach out and grasp her hand. 

“You know”, she says, running her other hand down Helena’s front, very aware of how the taller woman takes in a sharp breath, “I  _ am _ your girlfriend, you can look all you want.”

“I, um”, Helena mutters, blushing a bit again, “I… don’t wanna be creepy. Or something.”

“Well, if we didn’t know each other, it might be creepy”, Dinah tells her, smiling to show her she means it, “but as I said, I am your girlfriend, and, well… When you look at me like that, it’s not creeping me out, far from it. It makes me feel good.”

“Oh”, Helena lets out, then smiles, now daring to wrap both arms around Dinah, making sure though to not pull on the towel, not sure it would do to her if it fell down, “that… is good to know.”

Dinah smiles as well and nods, then pulls her in for a slow and gentle kiss; and by the time they pull apart again, Helena’s cheeks have taken on a healthy red tone again, Dinah is breathing noticeably heavier as well, her voice steady though when she speaks up again and tells Helena she’ll get dressed now.

“Okay, yeah”, Helena says, clearing her throat again, her knees quite wobbly still after being kissed like that, “I’ll go make some coffee. And, uh, breakfast.”

“Sounds good”, Dinah tells her with a wink, well aware of the effect the kiss had had on the assassin; and as she turns and walks to her room, she can feel Helena’s eyes on her back, and smiles to herself, she has meant it when she has told Helena it makes her feel good to be looked at like this, she can’t remember the last time someone has looked at her with both such affection and desire, and it makes her feel pleasantly warm and tingly inside to have Helena look at her like that.

She glances back over her shoulder, and smiles, and when Helena smiles back at her at once as their eyes meet, she feels better than she has in a long time.

* * *

Hours later, Helena has all thoughts of Dinah in nothing but a towel pushed out of her mind, and is fully focused on the task at hand, said task being a fight against a gang Renee has received a tip for, more drug dealers who are operating out of an abandoned warehouse - because of course they are - and who have been trying to expand their turf, something the Birds of Prey are eager to put a stop to before it can actually happen.

Fortunately, the men have no guns, using knives and steel pipes as weapons; and while they are good at selling their drugs, the three women quickly have realized they are not very good at fighting, those who have knives aren’t very apt at using them, Helena disarming one of them with ease and knocking him down before she throws the knife she has taken from him at another one, the man dropping his weapon when the blade digs into his shoulder.

From the corner of her eye, Helena sees Dinah kick down another one, and holds back a smirk; she takes another second to make sure Renee is doing okay too, the former cop using her brass knuckles to punch people left and right, and Helena focuses on her own fighting again, landing another punch when Dinah kicks one of the goons into her direction.

He goes down, and doesn’t get back up, to Helena’s grim satisfaction; and it doesn’t take long until the few still standing are down too, Helena lowering her fists as she glances around, making sure none of them will get back up and try attacking them.

“Good job”, Renee tells them, already pulling out her phone, “I’ll call my guy. You guys make sure nobody interrupts here?”

Both Helena and Dinah nod to that, this is a good point as they don’t know if they have managed to get all of the gang members or if some are out and about right this moment and will return to their hideout; and so, they make their way outside, Helena smiling as she allows herself to relax and Dinah steps close to her, close enough that she can wrap both arms around her and kiss her.

“Renee will scold us if she catches us doing that”, Helena mumbles as they pull apart again, not pulling back from the embrace though; Dinah smiles and points out that, if any gang members are out and about and will come back, they will do so by car and won’t walk, and certainly, they will hear an approaching car, especially with Helena always being on high alert as it is. 

“I do get less observant when we kiss”, Helena admits in response to that, Dinah letting out an “awww” before she pulls her in again; this time though, the kiss ends somewhat abruptly as they hear someone scream just round the corner, and flinch apart, Helena automatically bringing her fists up even though no danger is in sight.

“That came from over there”, Dinah says, nodding towards to where the shout has come from; they exchange one look, then both get moving, rounding the corner, finding two guys having a woman cornered, their backs turned towards them, even though they both turn when the woman sees them come and cries out to them for help.

They hold guns, Helena is quick to see, she has been trained to see these things after all, but they are strange guns, not like any sort of gun she ever has see before; her hand goes to her crossbow, but before she can draw it, despite how fast she can do so, the men fire, and instead of a bullet, what hits her looks like a strange cross of arrow and syringe, a quick glance telling her that Dinah has been struck by the same object.

She has a second to move her hand another inch closer to her crossbow, then her muscles grow heavy and unresponsive, and her sight blurs, and before she knows what is happening, she is on her knees, struggling to not go down fully, only now realizing how easily Dinah and she have been lured into this trap, because it can’t be anything else than a trap, and they have walked right into it.

“Good job”, she still hears the woman say, while the rest of her body goes numb and she goes down after all, ending up on the cold pavement, “grab the singer and let’s go.”

“No”, Helena still manages, and from the corner of her eye sees the men approach; she can only lie there as one of them raises his weapon, then the butt of it comes down hard on her head and a white flash of pain fills her vision before her world goes black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh oh...


	11. Chapter 11

Dinah has had hangovers a few times in her life, and bad ones, too, but none of those even comes near to how she feels when she wakes up this time.

Her head feels as if someone has spent hours knocking on it with a hammer just for the fun of it, her throat is dry and her muscles are sore; she wants to stretch to make it better, and a cold flash of fear clenches her stomach when she realizes she can’t, she’s sitting on a chair and her hands are bound behind it and to it, she can barely move an inch.

There’s tape over her mouth, too, she belatedly realizes, and she has a second to wonder if she could Canary Cry it off if she tried hard enough; and just then, bright light flashes up in front of her, shining right into her eyes, and she squeezes her eyes shut out of poor instinct, letting out a muffled noise of protest, the shadowy figure she can see behind the lamp shining into her face when she dares to open her eyes again a bit not seeming very impressed.

“There you are again”, a female voice says, and Dinah isn’t really surprised it’s the voice of the woman they have set out to rescue, if she hadn’t been tied down, she would have kicked herself for falling for this, like a bloody amateuer, she sourly thinks to herself, especially with how they had known someone is after them, “I was starting to worry I had made the dosage too high. I don’t want you dead.”

_ Yet _ , Dinah finishes for her, it hasn’t been said out loud, but the woman’s tone pretty much implies it; she shifts a bit on the chair, flexes her fingers, but the rope around her wrists sits tight, and doesn’t move the tiniest bit, the woman speaking up again a second later, and now, Dinah can hear a hint of amusement in her voice.

“Don’t bother”, she says, still behind the bright lamp so Dinah can’t see more of her than a vague dark outline, “I know how to tie someone up. I’ve learned. That was one of the first things I’ve learned, when I’ve started.”

She walks a few steps then, making sure though to stay behind the light so Dinah can’t get a good look at her still; and when she speaks up again, she sounds contemplative, Dinah feeling that cold flash of fear again as the woman continues.

“I had to learn”, she tells Dinah, the singer trying to peer at her past the lamp, if only so she won’t have to look right into the light, “you weren’t my initial target, you know. And the one I’m actually after, well, I imagine she could have gotten out of most knots. I imagine you know who I’m talking about.”

_ Helena _ , Dinah realizes, and her blood runs cold yet again,  _ she’s talking about Helena and she’s not after me, not at all. She’s after Helena and I’m just her bait. _

Clearly, the woman can see some of her thoughts on her face, as Dinah hears her snicker softly to herself; and then, the light is switched off and while Dinah still tries to get used to the sudden darkness, the woman’s footsteps retreat and she’s left alone, groaning in dismay and frustration as she realizes that for now, there is nothing she can do, she can only sit and wait for the trap this woman clearly is setting up for Helena to snap shut.

* * *

Helena wakes to a pounding headache and a dry mouth, surprised that there is something soft beneath her, the last thing she remembers is how she has been knocked out just outside the warehouse; she groans as she opens her eyes and the bright sunlight streaming in through the window shines right into them, then freezes as she realizes she has no idea where she is, it’s not her room at the base and it’s not Dinah’s apartment, either.

At least, she realizes, she is not tied down or restrained in any other way, and while her head hurts, she can’t see any other injuries when she lifts her head; and just then, the door of the room she is in opens, and Renee steps inside, and the moment she sees the look on the former cop’s face, Helena remembers everything.

_ Grab the singer and let’s go. _

“Dinah”, she manages as she its up, ignoring how doing so briefly makes her dizzy, even though she knows this is not a good sign, “they took her, didn’t they.”

“Yeah”, Renee confirms at once, looking worried when Helena gets out of bed, but not making a move to stop her, she knows that look on the assassin’s face, “and no, before you ask, we don’t know they are.”

“Shit”, Helena curses, moving one hand to nervously run it through her hair, stopping though when she feels the bandage on her head, Renee shrugging at the look the taller woman then shoots her.

“Guy hit you hard”, she says, “you were bleeding. I stitched you up. And you shouldn’t get out of bed yet, you know, you probably have a concussion.”

“We have to find her”, Helena responds, not really surprising Renee, this is the most upset she ever has seen the usually so stoic assassin and while what she has to say next breaks her heart, she knows she has to say it, if only to keep Helena from running out in her current state and getting herself hurt.

“We can’t”, she thus bluntly says, holding Helena’s gaze even when the assassin glares at her, “we have no idea who took her. We have no way to find out. All we can do is wait, and you know that.”

“...I know”, Helena has to admit, sitting down heavily again and taking in a few deep breaths in an attempt to remain in control, she knows Renee means well and that being blunt probably has been the best way to go, Luca often had told her that she is thick-headed and too stubborn for her own good, so blunt words have to be used to get through to her, “I hate this. I can’t lose her Renee, I can’t.”

“And you won’t”, Renee firmly says, sitting next to her, glad that least, Helena isn’t on her feet anymore, “they… Look, I know this is hard to swallow, but if they’d wanted her dead, she’d be dead. They took her instead. They’ll want to use her.”

“As bait”, Helena finishes, Renee looking grim as she nods, “or to blackmail us.”

“Right”, Renee agrees, she can’t know for sure this is true, but figures it has to be close to the truth at least, knowing that both Helena and Dinah had been out cold and both of them easily could have been killed then and there, “so for now, what we do is wait. And you let your noggin recover, you took quite the blow.”

“My noggin, as you put it, will have time to recover until they contact us”, Helena tells her, once again not surprising her, “the moment they do so and tell us what they want, I’m out of here to get there.”

“Right”, Renee says again, and unlike her, Helena is surprised at how quickly she has agreed to this, without trying to talk her out of it, “they’ll contact us quickly, if they know anything about her, they won’t want to hold her captive for too long. Give her no chance to use her cry on them.”

Helena isn’t sure this is right, but she makes herself let out an agreeing noise anyway; and once Renee can be sure she won’t storm off and try to find Dinah all on her own, she tells her she’ll call Harley, perhaps the woman will have heard something about who has grabbed Dinah or will be able to help them out another way, grabbing her phone once Helena has nodded her agreement.

As Renee leaves the room to make the call, Helena flops back onto the bed and stares up at the ceiling; she’s still dizzy, and a bit nauseous too now, and the thought that for now, all they can do is wait makes her sick to her stomach as well, but she knows Renee is right, and tells herself that it will be okay, whoever has taken Dinah will contact them soon to tell them what they want.

And then, Helena tells herself, she’ll be there, and make sure they will regret that they ever have laid a hand on the singer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poop is hitting the fan...


	12. Chapter 12

“Don’t try anything”, the woman warns Dinah as the light is switched on again, once more keeping her from seeing more of her than a vague dark outline, “and don’t even think about using your cry. I got a gun aimed at you, and if you kill my friend here and me, nobody but us knows you are here. So unless you want to die a slow, unpleasant death of starvation, keep your voice down.”

The friend in question, probably one of the guys who has been with the woman when the trap has snapped shut, Dinah thinks to herself, steps closer and yanks the tape off her mouth; she bites back a noise of pain and glares at the shadowy figure behind the lamp, but judging from how relaxed the woman remains, she’s not very impressed.

“Drink”, the man commands, directing her attention to the bottle of water with the straw in it he holds; Dinah figures the stuff isn’t poisoned, they want her alive as bait for Helena after all, and so, she drinks, it’s lukewarm, but it does sate her thirst, and she feels much better by the time the bottle is pulled away again.

“Helena’s going to kill you, you know”, she says conversationally, glaring at the man when he starts going through her pockets, but he’s unperturbed as he finds her phone and pulls it out, “she’ll find me, and she’ll kill you.”

“Oh, I’m counting on her to find us”, the woman lightly says as she accepts the phone, Dinah feeling a bit of malicious glee when she realizes she doesn’t know the code to unlock it and has to ask her for it; for a moment, she considers simply not giving it to her, but then, she knows how skilled Helena is, and she knows the assassin will figure out this is a trap and will come prepared, and as it is, she’s not really in a position to refuse.

“I want her here, after all”, the woman goes on once Dinah has given her the code, scrolling through her contacts, “but she won’t kill me. You got that backwards, I’m going to kill her.”

She nods at the guy by her side, and he steps forward, tape in hand; Dinah for a moment considers canary crying both of them, then realizes this would be a bad idea as it’d leave her helplessly tied to that chair with no one knowing where she is, and lets it happen that the guy tapes her mouth shut again, glaring at him as he does so, the man once again not appearing very impressed.

Apparently, the woman has found the contact she has been looking for, as she taps the screen of Dinah’s phone for a few times; then, she puts it on speaker, so Dinah can hear what is happening, her heart clenching up when Helena takes the call at once, sounding apprehensive as she says “Hello?”, clearly suspecting that this is not Dinah calling her.

“Hello, Huntress”, the woman says, and Dinah can hear the sharp intake of breath from Helena, “this is  _ not  _ your girlfriend calling, but she is here with me. Alive. For now.”

“What do you want”, Helena demands to know at once, and Dinah can tell how carefully controlled her voice is, she can tell Helena is worried and angry, but she has no interest in letting this person notice that, “you want money, fine, I’ll give you money.”

“I don’t want money”, the woman snaps, sounding offended now, and actually glaring at the phone as if Helena would be able to see it, “I want you, here. Alone. I’m texting you an address, and if you want your girl to live, you’ll come here. Again, alone. You have an hour.”

She hangs up before Helena can say anything else, quickly texting the address afterwards; and then, she puts the phone on the desk in front of her, and even though she still can’t see her, Dinah can hear the smile on her face when she speaks up.

“Now”, she states, and Dinah feels cold again at how gleeful she sounds, clearly looking forward to Helena arriving here, “we wait. You better hope she’s on time, Canary. Wouldn’t want to have to hurt you.”

Dinah can only glare at her, and hears her laugh in response; and as she knows that once again, all she can do is sit and wait, the singer tells herself that Helena will come prepared, that this woman won’t get to hurt her and that it will be okay, no matter how dire things seem right now.

* * *

Helena arrives at the location she has been texted even before the deadline she has been given is over, and she’s not surprised to see men with guns waiting at the door; one of them aims at her while the other tells her to remove her weapons, and there’s not much for her to remove, she hasn’t bothered to bring her crossbow, having figured that they will disarm her anyway before they let her anywhere near to the woman who has made the call.

So, she pulls her knives from where she has them strapped to her thigh, and tosses them to the ground; neither of the men makes a move to pick them up though, and that is a pity, Helena thinks to herself, it would have been the perfect opportunity to kick one of them in the face, but they don’t do her that favour, one of them pulling a pair of handcuffs from his pocket and throwing them at her.

“Put those on”, he orders, and Helena does so, her face perfectly neutral as she clicks the cuffs shut around her wrists; this will hinder her a bit, she knows, but at least her hands aren’t cuffed behind her now, a mistake these men have made, something they are very clearly not aware of, one of them now moving closer to her to make sure the cuffs are closed properly.

He steps into his friend’s line of fire as he does so, and that’s another mistake, but one Helena doesn’t make use of it; once he has reassured himself she did put the cuffs on properly, he grabs her arm, and while Helena wants to break his fingers for that, she lets it happen, telling herself she has to play along for now, until she knows where Dinah is.

The guy leads her into the building, his buddy right behind them, Helena figuring he’s aiming at her back even though she can’t see him; they walk down a hallway, then the other guy lets go of her arm to open a door, roughly shoving her into the room, her trained gaze allowing her to take in everything at once.

She sees Dinah, sitting on a chair at the opposite wall, her hands bound behind the backrest and tape of her her mouth; she also sees a woman in the room with the singer, smiling at her as she stands behind Dinah and aims a gun at her, the man retreating and closing the door, leaving them alone.

“Helena Bertinelli”, the woman says, Helena keeping her eyes on her even though she feels Dinah’s worried gaze, pointedly not looking at her as she tells herself this will only scare her, and being scared won’t help with what she has to do, “there you are, early, even. This woman really must mean much to you.”

“She does”, Helena confirms, the woman’s mouth twitching, “and she has nothing to do with whatever you want from me. So let her go.”

“Do you know who I am?” the woman wants to know in response, and if it had been just the two of them, Helena would have made a comment about how this is her line, but with Dinah in immediate danger, she figures it might be smarter to not say this; she just shakes her head, the woman isn’t familiar the slightest, and judging from how her face darkens, she is not happy to be given this response.

“Let me tell you, then”, she says, and if looks could have killed, Helena figures she would have dropped dead right then and there, “maybe you’ll see it once you know. My name’s Aurora Galante, and you’ve killed my father.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaand here's the big reveal xD


	13. Chapter 13

“I did”, Helena doesn’t bother to deny it, she has murdered the man after all, he has been the very first target from her list she has gone after when she has returned to Gotham, “but you know that, so you don’t need me to confirm it.”

“No, I don’t”, the woman snaps, clearly getting agitated, and while Helena can’t blame her, she doesn’t want her to get angry, if she gets too angry she might act on impulse and that might end badly for Dinah, “I know you did that. I found him dead in his bed with one of your fucking bolts stuck in his throat!”

“I know what you’re feeling”, Helena quietly says, and clearly, Aurora hasn’t expected that, as some of the anger fades from her eyes and she looks surprised for a second, before she regains her composure and glares again, “that rage. I feel it too. And I know you have nightmares. I have them too. Do you know why I killed your father?”

“I don’t care”, Aurora snaps, but Helena can tell she is getting to her, perhaps, she has been sure Helena would deny it and try to lie her way out of this, instead of talking about it so freely.

“Because he had my family killed”, Helena tells her, ignoring the fact that the woman has told her she doesn’t care, “I was nine. I came home from school, and he was there, with his firing squad, and they shot them all.”

“Is this sob story supposed to make me feel bad for you?” Aurora snarls, surprised again though when Helena just shrugs, “cause it’s not. I know my father wasn’t an honest man, but he was good to me, and you took him from me!”

“And you think if you kill me, it will stop the rage and the pain and the nightmares”, Helena says, she can see how Aurora’s grip on the gun tightens when she says that, but the woman doesn’t fire, at least not yet, “but it won’t. Trust me, it won’t. Yes, I’ve killed him, and I’ve killed his firing squad, but that doesn’t take the pain away. And it doesn’t bring them back.”

“You know”, Aurora says after a moment, “I’ve thought about how to do this. I thought about just shooting you when you’re unaware, but then you wouldn’t have known who killed you and why. Then I saw how you are with her” - with that, she lowers the gun to point at Dinah, and Helena’s breath catches in her throat, Aurora smiling as she notices at once, “and I thought about killing  _ her _ instead, and let you live with the pain. But then you would have come after me, and while I do have help and access to money, I’m not a trained assassin like you, and you would have gotten me at some point. So that wasn’t an option.”

“Dinah has nothing to do with any of this”, Helena says, and while she doesn’t like to have a gun pointed at her, she’s glad when it comes back up, as it’s not aimed at Dinah anymore, “and you know that. Leave her out of this.”

“I thought about that, too”, Aurora tells her, “she really has nothing to with it, doesn’t she. Did she even know you when you killed my father?”

“No”, Helena quickly tells her, oddly glad when the gun remains pointed at her even though she is very aware of how much danger she is in, “she didn’t. This is between you and me, just let her go, do what you want to me, but let her go. Okay?”

Dinah lets out a noise of protest at that, and pulls at her bonds, but to no avail; Helena briefly glances at her, then focuses on Aurora again, the woman holding her gaze calmly now, all the rage gone from her eyes.

Then she smiles, but it’s a cold and cruel smile, Helena knows she’s not good at reading people, but she can read this woman, and she knows what will happen before Aurora opens her mouth.

“Okay”, Aurora says, and then she pulls the trigger, the gunshot deafeningly loud in the small room, but Helena can still hear Dinah cry out even then.

* * *

A second before the shot is fired, Helena dives down and forwards, and she can feel the bullet whiz over her head, hears it hit the wall; she also hears how Aurora starts to curse, but the woman doesn’t have a chance to finish the word as Helena tackles her, with how her hands are cuffed, she can’t really grab her, but she’s taller and weighs more and drives her down to the ground anyway.

From the corner of her eye, she can see Dinah struggle against the rope holding her in earnest now, but she can’t spare a moment to help her, as Aurora apparently at least has had a few fighting lessons; she slams her knee up into Helena’s ribcage, making her grunt at the impact, and the assassin can feel the gun push against her side a moment later, dismayed that Aurora hasn’t dropped it when she has tackled her.

She’s quick to roll off of her, and just in time too as another shot is fired, barely missing her again; and just as fast as she has moved off the woman, Helena springs to her feet and lands a hard kick, earning a pained yelp from Aurora as her boot connects with her side.

As the woman comes to her feet as well again, and Helena raises her fists, cuffed as they are, annoyed now that Aurora is still holding on to the gun, but part of her also has to give her credit, for how steadfastly she holds on to her weapon.

_ Two shots fired _ , she reminds herself,  _ that make and model holds eight. Six left. You’ll have to be damn lucky to dodge six more bullets, so get that gun away from her. _

She tenses as she gets ready to make her move, but Aurora clearly reads her intentions on her face or perhaps through her body language, and her eyes narrow - before she swings the gun around to aim at the back of Dinah’s head, the singer still struggling to get rid of the ropes, and unaware of the weapon now aimed at her, the weapon which will take her life in a second unless Helena does something.

It’s a split second she has to decide, and it’s not a real decision for her, there is only one thing she can do; she shoots forward and tackles Dinah just as Aurora is fired, throwing her over along with the chair, a muffled, pained yelp coming from Dinah when she hits the ground, the chair shattering at the impact though, allowing her to finally get rid of the ropes.

“Fucking hell”, she hears Aurora curse, and she turns her head so she can see her, yanking the tape off her mouth as she pulls in a deep breath to use her cry, ready to knock Aurora off her feet; before she can do so though, the woman suddenly smiles, her rage gone from one second to the next, and lowers her gun, and for a second, Dinah is confused, not sure what is happening and why.

Then she realizes that Helena isn’t moving to get up, she’s like dead weight on top of her, and she feels the hot and sticky wetness which is trickling onto her shirt, and her blood runs cold.

“Looks like I got the job done”, Aurora comments, her smile widening; she turns and walks off, but Dinah doesn’t notice anymore, her heart racing in her chest as she tries to figure out how bad it is, where Helena has been hit and if Aurora has been right when she’s claimed she has finished the job.

“Helena”, she manages, her stomach clenching in fear when there’s no response, “Helena, come on, hey, talk to me. Helena?”

She gets a groan in response this time, and that takes some of her fear away; and then Helena tries to get off of her, and that helps, too… until the assassin lets out another groan and slumps back down onto the ground next to her, and doesn’t move again, not reacting the slightest even when Dinah cries out her name once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yikes, more poop hitting the fan.


	14. Chapter 14

_ Okay, okay, don’t panic _ , Dinah tells herself as she takes in a few deep breaths in an attempt to keep her calm, she knows she has no time to lose, but she can’t allow herself to freak out, either, Helena is hurt and needs help,  _ it’ll be fine, just keep your calm. Stop the bleeding, get help, she’ll be fine. _

She’s quick to rip her sleeve off, and moves to press it onto the wound; the bullet has hit Helena in the side, just below her ribcage, and the wound is bleeding disconcertingly much, but Dinah keeps telling herself it will be okay as she tries to lessen the flow or maybe even stop it, reminding herself that Helena is strong and that surely, she’ll get through this, as well.

Thankfully, Aurora has left her phone on the table, and she manages to grab it without stopping the pressure on the injury; Helena is still out cold, and she’s pale and her skin is clammy, but Dinah keeps telling herself she’s going to be okay as she finds the text Aurora has sent to Helena, with the exact address of where they are.

Quickly, she calls Renee next, relieved when the former cop takes the call at once, sounding nervous and a bit anxious, and Dinah doesn’t give her much reason to feel better, getting straight to the point, knowing they have no time to waste.

“Helena’s hurt, and the woman who did it got away”, she tells Renee, hearing her huff on the other end of the line, “I’m forwarding you an address, I need you here as fast as possible and we need Harley, too.”

“On it”, Renee tells her, not wasting any time either, “already on my way to the car, send me that address.”

“Yeah”, Dinah confirms, then ends the call and quickly forwards the text with the address to Renee, then focuses on Helena again; the assassin is still out cold, but it seems like the flow of blood has lessened, Dinah doesn’t dare lift the piece of her shirt to check, but she’s pretty sure it’s not bleeding as much as it has a minute ago, and she tells herself this has to be a good sign.

Helena is still unconscious, but Dinah can tell she is breathing, and that is good, too; and as for now, all she can do is wait for Renee to arrive, she remains where she is, keeping the sleeve pressed onto the wound and her eyes on Helena, saying her name every now and then just in case she can hear her and telling her it will be okay, trying to convince herself of this as well, not allowing herself to think of the other, much more dreadful way this could end.

* * *

Once Renee arrives, the first thing she asks is if Helena is still breathing, and once Dinah has confirmed that, lets the singer know that Harley is waiting at their base; they have equipment there for situations like this one, even though none of them has been hurt so badly before, Helena has insisted that they will need this stuff one day and now, even though she wishes it would be different, Dinah is glad that the assassin has been so adamant on getting the equipment. 

“Okay”, Renee says once she has taken a look and has seen where the wound is, and Dinah has told her it has been a gunshot, “we have to move her, which is potentially bad, but we have to get her to the car. Take her feet.”

Dinah moves to do so, and while she knows that Renee is right and that carrying a person who’s been shot around like that is not a good idea, they don’t have much of a choice; at least, she darkly thinks to herself, it’s not far to the exit, and Renee has parked close to the door, the way Helena limply hangs in their hold when they put her onto the backseat making her heart clench with fear again. 

Not wanting to let Helena out of her sight, Dinah stays in the backseat with her, taking the assassin’s head into her lap while Renee gets behind the wheel; she keeps pressing the by now soaked sleeve onto the wound as the former cop drives, and keeps her eyes on Helena’s face, so she notices at once when Helena’s eyelids flutter, and she’s quick to say her name, in an attempt to help her wake up.

Helena opens her eyes at that, and Dinah is relieved, even though her heart clenches again at the pain she can see in the other woman’s gaze; she never has been shot before, and she can’t imagine how much it has to hurt, but she knows how ridiculously high Helena’s pain tolerance is on a regular day, and knows it has to hurt badly just from looking at her.

“Hey”, she says, trying hard to sound soothing and to not let Helena hear how freaked out and scared she is, figuring that won’t help, “hang in there, alright? We’re getting you back to the base, Harley’s there, she’ll take care of that.”

“Are you hurt?” Helena wants to know in response, voice weak and raspy, and Dinah suddenly feels like crying, here Helena is lying hurt in her arms and the first thing she worries about is if Dinah is okay, not even acknowledging that she herself is not.

“No”, Dinah tells her, having to clear her throat before she can go on, “I’m fine, because you took that bullet for me. And you’ll be fine, too.”

Helena lets out a vaguely agreeing noise, the injury hurts like hell, but she figures it’s a good sign she has woken up again; unlike Dinah, she has been shot before, and has patched herself up as well afterwards, but she’s somewhat glad she won’t have to do so this time, lying still as Renee drives, and even though she tries hard not to move, the pain increases each time Renee hits a pothole or the car moves more than usual for another reason.

“Almost there”, Dinah mumbles when Helena can’t hold back a wince at another bounce of the car, “hold on for me a bit longer, okay?”

She’s glad when Helena nods in reply, figuring it’s a good thing that the assassin is aware enough to respond to what she is saying; she feels for Helena when the taller woman winces again as the car gets shaken by yet another pothole, and curses the desolate roads of Gotham, glad when they finally reach their base and Renee parks as near to the door as she can, killing the engine.

“Okay”, Dinah says while the former cop gets out of the car, “we have to get you inside, this will hurt again, but we’ll be as fast as we can. Alright?”

Helena lets out a vaguely agreeing noise, and already when Dinah moves out from underneath her, it hurts; and this gets only worse when they get her out of the car and carry her into the building, she can feel that the wound starts bleeding again as well at the movement, it trickles down her side and drips to the ground, leaving a trail of red as they carry her inside.

Harley is already there, and already has the first aid kit ready, to Dinah’s relief, and she’s ready herself as well, wearing thin surgical gloves and only nodding at them as they enter, the fact that she is not making any sort of comment and how her gaze darkens at the sight of the wound telling Dinah that this is serious.

“Put her on the table”, Harley orders, already grabbing a pair of scissors, “Huntress, I hope you have no emotional attachment to this shirt.”

“No”, Helena mutters, but Harley is already cutting, so she figures her answer wouldn’t have mattered much either way; she has another moment to see the shirt fall off as Harley finishes cutting it, then Dinah steps so that she not only is in her field of view, but blocks her sight of the wound, as well, Helena managing a weak smile when the singer grasps her hand.

“Alright”, Harley says, Helena hearing her move things around as she gets ready to start, “maybe get her something she can bite down on. This will hurt, unless you pass out from the pain Helena, you ready?”   


Renee brings a dishtowel for her to bite down on, and once it sits firmly between her teeth, Harley gets to work; the cloth in her mouth muffles the noises of pain Helena lets out at first, gripping Dinah’s hand so tight that the singer worries for the bones in there, but she doesn’t pull back, she lets Helena hold on as tight as she has to and doesn’t let any discomfort show through her face, until it all gets too much for Helena and she does pass out from the pain after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good thing they know someone who can take care of bullet wounds ^^;


	15. Chapter 15

When Helena wakes up again, she immediately realizes she’s not on the table anymore, but has been moved to her bedroom; she can feel the stitches at her side and the bandage wrapped around her, but what surprises her is the needle in her arm, and she blinks, following the thin plastic tube which leads from it to the drip next to the bed, the bag hanging from it half full with some clear liquid which drops down the tube at a slow, but constant pace.

She figures there is a reason this is there, and doesn’t pull it out for now; even though she is lying down, she feels weak and drained, and she seriously doubts her legs would have carried her, had she tried to get out of bed, so she stays where she is, and looks up at the ceiling, thinking back to what has happened before the bullet has hit and she has lost consciousness. 

For fifteen years, Helena thinks to herself, she has thought of nothing but vengeance, has trained and worked for that one goal and that goal alone; she has always had her drawing around, in her room back in Sicily and she has taken it with her when she has moved back to Gotham, and each time she has crossed out one of the crayon figures, it has felt good to do so, it has felt  _ right _ .

She has never stopped to wonder if perhaps, she herself is giving someone else reason to want vengeance, if she is a villain for someone the way Galante and his firing squad have been villains for her, and while she is angry at Galante’s daughter for pulling Dinah into this, Helena can’t really blame her for going after her.

The door opening distracts her from her thoughts, and Dinah pokes her head into the room; she looks tired, Helena notes at once, but she smiles when their eyes meet and she steps inside, gently closing the door behind herself before she makes her way to the bed, sitting down on the edge of it and making Helena smile a bit as well by grasping her hand.

“Hey”, she says, her thumb running over the assassin’s knuckles, giving her something else than the pain she can feel from the wound now again to focus on, “good to see you awake again, how are you feeling?”   


“Tired”, Helena mumbles, she has been shot before and it has put her out of commission for a while, but she never has felt like this, so completely drained, as if she hasn’t slept for weeks, even though she is fairly certain she has been out cold for longer than a few hours, after how Dinah has commented on how it’s good to see her awake again, “how long was I…?”

“Almost three days”, Dinah tells her, and Helena grimaces, now knowing why the drip is there and why Dinah looks so tired, figuring the singer hasn’t gotten much sleep while she has been out, “you’d lost a lot of blood, back… there already and then more when Harley got the bullet out and stitched you up. She’s kept telling me you’ll be alright though, and now that you’re awake, I’m starting to believe her.”

“I’ll be fine”, Helena says at once, not really surprising her as this has been her standard response every time she’s gotten hurt, even though it never has been so bad before, “and looks like Harley did a good job, with that drip and everything.”

“I don’t even know what’s in there”, Dinah admits, Helena raising her brows and prompting the singer to shrug, “she just said we need to get these fluids into you when it became apparent you wouldn’t wake up again quickly. She’s come by every evening to change that bag and to check on the wound, don’t ask me where she even gets that stuff.”

“Yeah, I don’t think we want to know”, Helena says, Dinah smiling a bit again and nodding, “but I didn’t die of dehydration while I was out cold, so good job Harley, I suppose.”

“Good job Harley indeed”, Dinah agrees, leaning over her to gently kiss her, making sure to not get close to the bandaged wound though, and going on once she has pulled back again, “honestly, I’m not sure what we would have done if she hadn’t been here to help.”

Helena nods her agreement to that, then asks about the woman responsible for her current state; Dinah sighs, and shrugs, looking glum when she responds, Helena not really surprised at what she is saying.

“Got away”, Dinah lets her know, “so we should keep being on the lookout, she might think you’re dead now, but she’ll come after you again once she realizes you aren’t.”

Helena just shrugs, and Dinah frowns, that is not quite the reaction she has expected; she gives the assassin a questioning look, and Helena lets out a small sigh, Dinah’s eyes going wide when she speaks up.

“Can’t really blame her”, Helena says, and that is the last thing Dinah has expected to hear from her, “she shouldn’t have dragged you into this, but I can’t blame her for going after me. Not after what I did.”

“Helena, no”, Dinah replies with a shake of her head for emphasis, “that’s… You shouldn’t…”

“What”, Helena wants to know, not sounding angry, but just tired, and Dinah’s heart breaks for her at her tone, “are you going to tell me it’s not the same? How is it not? He had my family killed, so I killed him. I killed her family doing that.”   


“He had your family killed for money”, Dinah points out, “for his own gain. You didn’t profit from his death, not like he did from what happened to your family.”

Helena has to admit that this is right, she’s not sure vengeance is a better motive for killing someone than greed, but she does know that Galante has been well off even before having her family murdered and taking over their turf and businesses; and she knows she hasn’t survived that shooting because of him taking pity on her, but due to sheer luck, and thanks to the man who was supposed to make sure she’s dead and smuggled her out of there instead after finding her alive. 

“Still can’t blame her”, she sighs, Dinah giving her a sympathetic look, somewhat understanding of that even though she holds a grudge against the woman for how badly she has hurt Helena, “you’re right, none of this would have happened if Galante hadn’t been so greedy back then, but… I get why she does it, you know. And I was wondering if this would happen at some point, if someone would come after me. Like I’d come after Galante and his guys.”

“Well, I get your point”, Dinah tells her, squeezing her hand, “but it’s like you told her, if she does anything to you, it won’t help her. It won’t end the pain and it won’t bring her father back. Maybe we can make her see that.”

“Yeah”, Helena agrees, she doubts it will be possible to make Aurora see this, but she figures it’s worth a try, it feels wrong to just go and kill the woman, even though she’s hurt in bed now because of her, and even though said woman has been trying to shoot Dinah when Helena has taken the bullet for her, “maybe. When she comes after me again.”

Dinah notes that Helena says  _ when  _ and not  _ if _ , and has to hold back a grimace, but she figures the assassin is right, once Aurora does realize Helena isn’t dead, she will make another attempt to kill her; and so, she just nods, then squeezes Helena’s hand again before she leans in to gently kiss her, silently reassuring her that she is there and that she won’t have to face this threat alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aw, poor Helena.


	16. Chapter 16

Harley shows up at their base just as she has the previous days, and brings a fresh bag for the IV drip, only to declare they obviously don’t need it anymore as Helena is awake now and can eat and drink on her own; she still leaves the bag there, just in case, and tells Helena to take it easy as she removes the needle from her arm, the assassin finding herself wondering if psychiatrists learn this or if Harley knows how to do all this for some other reason.

Wherever she has learned it, she clearly knows what she is doing, Helena thinks to herself as she sits up so Harley can remove the bandage and check on the wound; it’s the first time Helena gets a good look at it, and she can tell it has been taken good care, the stitches are done well and it has been thoroughly cleaned, no signs of infection anywhere.

“Looking good”, Harley confirms Helena’s observations, “not to brag, but I have done a good job. You feeling okay?”

“I guess”, Helena replies, shrugging a bit, she still feels tired and drained, even after having eaten some chicken soup Dinah has brought for her, “quite tired, but I guess that is normal after losing all that blood.”

“Pretty much”, Harley confirms, carefully bandaging the wound again, “you better take it easy for a while, like I said. No fighting until the stitches can come out, you hear me?”

“Well, that might not be up to me”, Helena points out as Dinah enters the room, carrying a bottle of water for her, the assassin giving her a grateful look when she’s handed said bottle, “that woman is still out there you know, and she might show up here, to find out if I’m really dead. She has been spying on us here before.”

“Aurora Galante”, Harley nods, Helena figuring that she has been told what has happened while she has been out cold, something Harley confirms a moment later as she goes on, “yeah, Dinah told me while you were getting your beauty sleep. You gonna kill her if she shows up here?”

“No”, Helena says at once, Harley raising her brows and nodding at her to continue, clearly interested in hearing Helena’s reasoning for this answer, “like I told Dinah, I can’t really blame her. I am pissed at her for endangering Dinah, but I can’t blame her for going after me.”

“The cycle of vengeance”, Harley solemnly nods, Helena giving a little shrug in response, not sure if that is a thing or if Harley just has made it up, but not really caring much either way, “it’s a vicious one. Good on you for seeing that and not just wanting to kill her, that’s progress, good job Huntress.”

Helena blinks, then shrugs again, not quite sure what Harley is talking about, but Dinah is smiling a bit and nodding, so the assassin figures it has to be a good thing; and this makes her think back to their first meeting at the amusement park, to something Harley has said to her back then, something she hasn’t thought about much at that time, having had other things on her mind, like the upcoming fight for their lives.

_ Psychologically speaking, vengeance rarely brings the catharsis we hope for. _

“I guess so”, she says out loud, “but my progress, as you called it, won’t help much if she remains adamant to kill me. I don’t want to kill her but…”

“There’s a difference between vengeance and self-defense”, Harley tells her with a little shrug, Dinah nodding her agreement again, “but anyway, if she does show up here again, maybe not get into a one on one fist fight with her, let Renee and Dinah handle that.”

Helena just shrugs again, Harley giving her a bright smile before she declares she will give “the lovebirds” some alone time now and retreats; and the moment she is out of the room, Dinah grasps Helena’s hand and smiles, her thumb running over the assassin’s knuckles, sending pleasant shivers up and down her spine.

“Harley’s right, you know”, the singer says, confirming Helena’s thoughts that she agrees with what Harley has been saying, “that is progress. Back when we’ve met, if this had happened, you would have killed her without a second thought. I’m not sure you’re aware of this, but your rage issues are getting less.”

“I know”, Helena tells her, making her smile a bit again, “they have been for a while, I… I have felt angry all the time when we’ve met, but… that changed when we started working together and I had something to focus on to make this city better. Maybe I can make her see that, when she comes after me again.”

Dinah nods to that, then leans in to kiss her, and as Helena kisses her back, she fully realizes how much her rage has lessened; it still flares up whenever she fights, but it’s not constantly burning at the back of her mind anymore, and she feels calm and good as she kisses Dinah back, moving one arm to wrap it around her.

Dinah is careful when she returns the embrace, mindful of her still healing injury; and as the kiss deepens, Helena for a few moments forgets all about the threat still out there and about her own state, only able to focus on Dinah and on how good kissing the singer like this is making her feel.

* * *

Quite a while later, Dinah finds herself confronted with Helena giving her puppy dog eyes and actually  _ pouting _ , something she never would have expected to see - Helena is sweet and kind with her, but she still wouldn’t have guessed her to be the type to put on a face like this, if she hadn’t known that Helena hasn’t taken anything, she would have wondered if the woman is high on painkillers.

“Come on”, Helena says, and somehow, her puppy dog look intensifies, Dinah melting at the sight, “please? It would make me feel better.”

“That is what I doubt”, Dinah points out, and Helena pouts again, “you know I love cuddling up to you, but you do have a somewhat fresh bullet wound. What if I hurt you on accident?”

“You can lie on my other side”, Helena quickly has a counterargument for that, “and Harley has put like ten layers of bandage over that as it is, it’ll be fine. Come on, Dinah, please? I need my canary cuddles to get better.”

“Canary cuddles?” Dinah repeats with a small laugh, “did you just come up with that on the spot or have you sat on that one for a while?”   


Helena just smiles and shrugs, Dinah’s gaze softening as she looks back at her; it’s rare to see the assassin so relaxed, willing to joke, even, and she finds it hard to deny her the simple request she has made, shaking her head as she smiles back at her.

“Fine”, she says, and immediately, Helena beams at her, her obvious happiness making the singer melt again, “you’ll get your cuddles, if only so your puppy dog eyes won’t turn me into a puddle of canary goo. But don’t blame me in case I do end up poking your ouchie during the night and the stitches open or something.”

“I would never”, Helena solemnly says, making Dinah smile again at her serious tone, “you’ll even get to tell me  _ I told you so _ , and you know I don’t like being told that.”

Dinah laughs and nods, remembering the glare Helena has sent her way when Renee has used that phrase on her one time; and now that this has been settled, Helena gets comfortable in bed and opens her arms, and Dinah moves to lie on her uninjured side, carefully snuggling up to her, making sure to keep her hand away from the wound when she places her arm across Helena’s waist.

“There”, she declares as she rests her head on the taller woman’s shoulder, “happy now?”

“Very”, Helena mumbles, sounding serious again and making it clear she means it; Dinah smiles while she feels the assassin’s arms go around her, and even though she still worries she might hurt her on accident, it does feel good to be so close to her, to be held like this, her heartbeat a constant  _ thump-thump-thump _ Dinah can hear as she rests in her embrace.

The days Helena has been out cold have taken a toll on her too, and she realizes she is close to falling asleep fairly quickly; she still feels Helena press a gentle kiss to the top of her head, smiling to herself as she drifts off into sleep, Helena following suit a short while later, both of them getting the rest they need.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay for Canary Cuddles XD


	17. Chapter 17

“And she walks again”, Renee comments as Helena steps out of her bedroom in the next day, earning a wry smile from the assassin, “don’t overdo it, you hear. How are you feeling?”

“Better”, Helena tells her, the wound does hurt when she walks or moves much in any other way, but she doesn’t feel like lying around in bed for much longer, after the time she has spent there already, easily ignoring the fact that she has been out cold for quite a while of that time, “still hurts a little, but I’ll be fine.”

“Course you will be”, Renee says, making her smirk a bit; she can’t hold back a little grimace as she sits down at the table, and she’s fairly certain Renee and Dinah both notice, but neither of them comment on it, and Helena is glad about that, she hates showing any sort of weakness, even to those two, and it touches her that they both know her well enough at this point to be aware of this.

“So”, Renee says as Dinah puts a cup of coffee down in front of Helena, the singer isn’t sure this is actually the best drink for the assassin to have, but Helena looks quite happy at receiving it, and she doesn’t have the heart to deny her that, “I’ve looked into your new enemy. GCPD doesn’t have much on her though, so don’t get your hopes up.”

Helena gives a short nod at that, signalling Renee to go on; and the former cop does so, telling her that apparently, Galante’s daughter has sold her father’s mansion shortly after his death and has moved into an apartment instead, still in one of the wealthier parts of town, but far from the large house her father has lived in with her.

“If she’s continuing his business, she’s good at doing so unnoticed”, Renee continues, “the last contact she had with the police was after her father’s death, when she called 911. I’m pretty sure she’s not into any of the business her father has been in, she has more than enough money, so she doesn’t have to work.”

“She said that tying knots was one of the first things she has learned”, Dinah remembers, Helena making a face, still somewhat angry at the woman for what she’d done to Dinah, “when she got started going after Helena. And that she’s having help and access to money, so I guess she’s hired the guys who were there with her.”

“Those guys might be out of work now, if she thinks Helena’s dead”, Renee comments, making them both nod, “which is why my idea might work. We should surprise her before she gets to surprise us again. And I got her address.”

“I don’t want to kill her”, Helena says at once, and Renee doesn’t appear very surprised, the assassin figuring that she also has been told about the confrontation and about what Helena has said while she has been unconscious, “don’t get me wrong, I will if I have to, but… I get where she is coming from. And maybe we can get through to her. Get her to back off.”

“Worth a try”, Renee agrees, Helena knows she always prefers to not kill people, so she’s not surprised that the former cop has no problem with that idea, “and if the three of us show up there, she’ll be outnumbered, she might be willing to listen then. But maybe we should wait with doing that until your wound’s better.”

“No”, Helena declines at once, Dinah frowning, but not saying anything, she knows that look on Helena’s face and knows the assassin won’t listen to any counterarguments, “we can’t wait for too long, or she’ll make another move. If we want to surprise her, we have to do so fast.”

“Right”, Renee sighs, “good point, she might figure out you’re not dead at some point if we just wait.”

“No fighting”, Dinah strictly says before Helena can comment on that, “if there is a fight, you will leave that to Renee and me. The last thing we need now is that she hits you there, or maybe shoots you again.”

“Maybe we should invest in some bulletproof vests”, Renee thinks out loud, “I know a guy who can hook us up with that.”

“Won’t help if she aims for the leg or the head”, Helena points out, Dinah making a face again, certainly not liking the thought of Helena taking another bullet, not in the leg and especially not in the head, “but yeah, maybe can’t hurt to use those. Just in case.”

Renee nods and lets them know she will get on it right away, already pulling out her phone and while she walks a few steps away to make the call, Dinah grasps Helena’s hand, giving her a concerned look when the assassin glances at her and their eyes meet.

“I know you’re right when you say we should move fast”, Dinah tells her, squeezing her hand, “but… I don’t want you hurt again. So please, promise me, if there is a fight, you won’t get into it, alright?”

“You know I can’t promise that”, Helena says with a small sigh, giving Dinah an apologetic look, “I don’t want to take her down, like I said, but if she goes after you again, I can’t make any promises.”

“...I know”, Dinah sighs, earning a wry smile from the assassin, “I’d be the same if it was the other way round. But I don’t want you hurt again.”

Helena can only nod to that and squeeze her hand, she has the bullet wound, but she’s very aware of the toll this has taken on Dinah, as well; she leans in for a brief kiss, pulling back just when Renee returns to the table, telling them that everything is settled and that the bulletproof vests will be delivered within the hour.

“Wow”, Dinah comments, raising her eyebrows, Helena looking impressed as well, “your guy works fast then, good job. Thanks.”

Renee just shrugs, then nods as she puts her phone away again; and while they wait for the delivery, they start forming a plan, a vague and rough one as they don’t know much about the place Aurora lives at, they do get a look at it through Dinah’s laptop and Google maps, but that doesn’t give them much detail.

“She’s up on the top floor”, Renee at least knows, having found that info when she has looked into the woman, “there’ll be some security, but not much, the other people living in there aren’t involved in anything shady, as far as I could find out. So getting in shouldn’t be too difficult.”

Helena nods her agreement to that, studying the image of the building Dinah has pulled up on the screen; and next to her, Dinah does the same, glancing at the assassin every now and then, hoping they are not making a horrible mistake which will only lead to more pain and suffering and that things truly will work out alright for the three of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ohoho, a confrontation is coming...


	18. Chapter 18

As it turns out, security at the building isn’t very good indeed, there is a doorman, but he’s reading a magazine and not even glancing up when the three women walk past him; and Helena figures that is a good thing, she has a few knives hidden beneath her jacket, and if he had taken a closer look, he might have noticed them, but as it is, he barely acknowledges them, letting them walk inside with no trouble.

During the elevator ride to the top floor, Dinah grasps Helena’s hand, and while the assassin generally isn’t good at reading people, she can tell Dinah is nervous when she glances at her; she gives her hand a reassuring squeeze, glad when Dinah briefly smiles at her, the singer then taking in a deep breath as the elevator stops and the doors slide open.

She can tell that her wound is bothering her just from watching Helena walk, she does so slower than usual and favouring the side where the bullet has hit; this prompts her to worry again if perhaps, they are doing this too soon, and she truly hopes there won’t be a fight of any kind as Renee leads the way to Aurora’s apartment door, Helena and Dinah right behind her, the singer still holding on to Helena’s hand.

Renee stops at the door and gives the couple a questioning look, silently asking if they are ready; Helena nods, and Dinah does so too after a moment, prepared to use her cry if she has to, even though she hopes it won’t be necessary, her heart beating faster in her chest when Renee raises her hand and knocks on the door, apparently trying to be polite at first instead of just kicking it in.

There’s a peephole in the door, so Dinah figures Aurora can see who is waiting for her - if she’s home, the singer realizes - and perhaps simply might not open, or might get a weapon ready; she can hear a key turn a moment later, then the door swings open, and she’s somewhat relieved to see that no weapon is being aimed at them.

Aurora also doesn’t look surprised to see them, Dinah realizes, even though she raises her eyebrows a bit when she sees Helena standing there; her gaze darts to the hands of the three women next, and now she does look surprised, Dinah quick to pick up the little tremble in her voice when she speaks up, it’s just there enough to let her notice it.

“Yeah”, Aurora says, eying them warily even though they are unarmed, at least visibly so, “I figured you’d show up at some point. Well, two of you at least, I guess my hired guys were right when they told me I should have checked to make sure you’re dead.”

Helena just shrugs, deciding not to tell her that she has been unconscious for three days and that it has been a close call; and as the woman isn’t making a move to get away from them or to attack them, she wonders if she has gotten through to her after all back then already, a closer look revealing that Aurora doesn’t look angry or murderous, just tired and a bit resigned.

“So”, she says as she eyes them, “you here to kill me now, then? I guess you won’t make the same mistake I’ve made, you’ll make sure to finish the job.”

“We’re not here to kill you”, Helena tells her, and now Aurora does look surprised, apparently she hasn’t expected to be told that even though they are unarmed, “you gonna let us inside? We just want to talk.”

“Right”, Aurora says, somewhat sarcastically, but she does step aside to let them enter, well aware that they outnumber her and can just force their way in if they want to; she closes the door behind them, not locking it, Dinah notices, then leads the way to the living room, gesturing at the couch and seats there as she tells them they can sit down.

They do so, Dinah taking note of how Aurora keeps her eyes on Helena when the assassin sits down; Helena seems aware of this as well, her face remaining perfectly neutral when she sits, even though Dinah knows it has to hurt, the wound is just a few days old after all and while it’s healing well, she knows it’s still painful, having seen the pain whenever Helena has moved too fast as they have gotten ready to come here.

“I thought you’re dead”, Aurora says the moment they all have set down, eying Helena, “you did just what I thought you would do, taking the bullet when I aimed for your… girl. I thought you’re dead, and I felt good when I went home. For a while.”

“It stopped, didn’t it”, Helena says, Aurora letting out a sigh in response, not confirming it, but she doesn’t need to, Dinah can tell from the look on her face that Helena is right, “it went away, and you just felt empty. And then the pain came back. And the nightmares are still there, too, are they.”

“...yes”, Aurora confirms after a moment, sinking back into her seat, “you’re right, with everything. I thought I’d be happy, but that didn’t last long. And I thought I’d stop having nightmares, but they keep coming, too.”

“I know”, Helena lets her know, “I do, too. And I thought the same as you - that it’d stop when I’d killed them all.”

“It’s true”, Dinah throws in, making Aurora look at her, “she’s not just saying that, she does have nightmares. Woke me up the other night with one, that was scary.”

“They have been getting less”, Helena continues, Aurora’s gaze moving to her again, “but not because I killed them. They’ve been getting less because I started to do something good in my life, working with these two, making this city better.”

“Well, I’m not cut out to be a crime fighter”, Aurora dryly tells her, Dinah somewhat surprised when Helena smirks a bit at this, “so I guess that option is off the table.”

“You got money though”, Renee points out, the woman raising her brows in response, “use that to do something good. You know, charities, stuff like that. Use your name and influence for that, instead of picking up where your father left off.”

“So you’re really not here to kill me”, Aurora half says, half states, raising her eyebrows again, “honestly, I thought you’d try to lure me in and then finish me once I let my guard down.”

“We have no interest in killing you”, Helena is the one to tell her, Dinah and Renee figuring it should be her as she has been the one the woman has been after in the first place, “I’ve meant it when I told you that I get where you’re coming from. You don’t try to kill me anymore, we’re good.”

“...alright”, Aurora says after a moment, and Dinah is pleasantly surprised, having been expected a bit more resistance from her, but then, the singer realizes, Aurora has thought that Helena is dead and has had time to realize that this hasn’t accomplished what she has been hoping for, “I can live with that. I’m not gonna come after you anymore, or after your girlfriend or friends.”

“Good”, Helena says, then surprises them all by holding out her hand; and after a moment, Aurora solemnly grasps and shakes it, a small smile curling her lips as she does so.

“Thanks”, she then says as she pulls her hand back again, “for not killing me. We’ll never be friends, I imagine, but we can stay out of each other’s way.”

“That we can do”, Helena agrees, coming to her feet as they have talked about all they have come here to talk about, “I’m glad we came to this agreement. A friend once told me, psychologically speaking, vengeance rarely brings the catharsis we hope for, and I know now she was right when she said that.”

“Yeah, she was”, Aurora has to agree, looking uncomfortable when now, Helena’s hand briefly does go to her side, a gesture out of pure reflex at the flash of pain standing up has caused, “and, um… sorry. For shooting you. And, uh, Dinah, sorry for kidnapping you and using you as bait.”

“No hard feelings”, Dinah reassures her, making her smile a bit again, “like Helena said, don’t come after her or any of us anymore and we’re good.”

Aurora nods and reassures them she won’t, and once that has been made clear again, they head out; and as they walk to the elevator, Dinah grasps Helena’s hand again, glad that this has gone so well and that the situation has been resolved without further bloodshed, and when Helena glances at her and smiles, she knows the assassin feels the same, both of them glad that now, they at least have one enemy less out there. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, that went well XD


End file.
